Fix You
by mego94
Summary: Cat's life seemed almost perfect, but her world is turned upside-down when the one person that truly understands her is sent away. No longer having the company of her best friend, how long will it take for Cat to break, and how far will her friends have to go to piece her back together? CADE, Bat friendship, and bits of Cabbie here and there :)
1. Chapter 1

"Cat! Now! I'm not driving you if you're late!" A voice was heard from downstairs. Upon hearing her mother's demands, 17 year old Cat Valentine groaned, turning over in her bed. She doesn't understand the reasons behind her mother's constant complaints, but a quick glance at her alarm clock tells her that she has exactly forty-five minutes until the start of her first period class. "Shit," she mumbled under her breath as she tossed her covers back, leaping out of bed. She quickly ran into her bathroom, and began getting ready for the day ahead. Twenty-five minutes later the bubbly red-head bounced down the stairs, her long red curls swaying behind her. She quickly grabbed a few stray granola bars she had noticed on the counter and began making her way out the door, when her mother called behind her. "Come straight home after school, sweetheart. Your father and I have some news for you and your brother. We would've told you this morning, but we want you both to be here." Thinking nothing of her mother's request, Cat muttered a simple "Kay kay," before running out the door and making her way to Hollywood Arts.

Despite oversleeping, and the fact that it was a Monday morning, Cat was quite content. It was spring in Los Angeles, which allowed for her to roll her windows down, blasting her favorite tunes on the way to school: the best way to start any day, in her mind. She soon pulled into the parking lot with minutes to spare, and thankfully was able to snag a spot near the school's entrance. In a hurry, she ran straight to her locker, grabbed whatever things she might need for her morning classes, and made it to her first period class merely seconds before the sound of the second bell.

"Whoa there, Little Red! What's the rush?" an amused Andre Harris asked his friend.

"Over…slept…thought I was…late" she bit out as she began to catch her breath.

"Well, you made it just in time; you're fine. Here, water?" Cat gratefully grabbed the water bottle, gulping it down immediately.

"GOOD MORNING, CLASS!" An eager Sikowitz bellowed as he entered the class through the window (the only acceptable entrance in his mind). The class only responded with muffled groans and moans, in obvious detest to their teacher's overly-enthusiastic attitude; how could someone be so happy this early on a Monday morning? Sikowitz, noticing the obvious lack of energy in the room, decided to spark the interest of the class by beginning a rousing round of alphabetical improv.

"You're enthusiasm for knowledge on a Monday morning is overwhelming. Truly, it is. So, let's get those creative juices flowing with a little alphabet improv, shall we?" To this the class perked up a little, but only slightly. "Beck, Jade, Cat, and Andre: to the stage!" Slowly but surely the teens made their way to the stage, ready for instruction.

"Beck! You start! And…action!"

"Aliens are invading the school!" He turns to Jade, to which she replies

"Be careful! I heard that they take the Canadians, first," a hint of a smirk visible on her face.

"Canada has nothing to do with this!" Beck retorts, clear annoyance shown on his features. What is it with Jade and Canada?

"Dude! She's right, I've seen it myself!" Andre chimes in.

"Exactly where did you see this, Mr. Harris? Cat questions him suspiciously.

"Forgive me, but we don't have time for this."

"Guys! That turtle is glowing! Jade exclaims as she points to an imaginary turtle.

"Help…glowing turtle… attacking-" and with that Andre falls to the ground.

"Great start! Cat, continue!" Sikowitz orders.

"Ice is the only way to heal the bite from a glowing turtle!"

"Jade! Stay with us!"

"Kiwis are falling from the sky," she replies as the students pretend to duck and cover.

"Ooooh! I love Kiwis, but can it be strawberries instead?" Cat asks.

"Cat! I believe the next letter was l. Take your seat," Sikowitz interjected, as Cat left the stage and silently walked back to take her seat. "Alright, Andre. Continue!"

"Lemons are falling out of my butt," he continues, only to receive many disgusted looks from his peers.

"Must be a side effect from the turtle bite!"

"Nonsense, you silly Canadian."

"Obviously, he's an alien."

"Oooh! A twist!" Sikowitz eagerly exclaimed. "Continue."

"People! Can we please get back to the turtle?"

"Quite suspicious of you to say to change the subject."

"Really, who are you?"

Andre falls silent.

"Silence, is all we are getting out of him," Beck continued.

"Tired is what I am of this topic," Jade complained.

"Unbelievable, you would say that."

"Very true of you to say _that_."

"Well…"

"Xylophones! Bring me a xylophone!" Jade requested.

"You serious?"

"Zero, on a scale of one to ten, is how much I'm joking."

"And we're back to A. Beck! Please continue," Sikowitz stated.

"And why the xylophone?"

"Because, they ward off aliens."

"Can't you just accept that he's not one of them?"

"Dang it, trust me! I know he is," Jade replied.

"Eager, you are to find out if he is an alien."

"Frequently you doubt me." Despite being part of the skit, Beck still feels a twinge of guilt as these words leave her girlfriend's lips. Does she really feel this way, for this to be the first thing out of her mouth?

"Go ahead. Strike the xylophone," he ordered. At the strike of the xylophone, he exclaims "He really is an alien!"

"I knew it! Told you so."

"Just, how can I make it up to you?" Knowing exactly where this was going, a smile began to spread across Beck's face.

"Kiss me." And with that Beck leaned in and pressed his lips to Jade's, igniting sparks between the two of them. Keeping it short and chaste for the sake of the class (there were other opportunities for them to finish this scene), they stopped the kiss as the class began to applaud their peers for their performance.

"Excellent performance, children. That oughta get your brains going," said Sikowitz. And with that the remaining performers reclaimed their seats, now more alert and listening to their favorite teacher ramble on about his favorite method of acting: "squaddling."

Before long the lunch bell was ringing, dismissing the hundreds of starving students and saving them from boredom. When Cat finally got to the gang's usual lunch table, she noticed that Tori was already sitting down. With a flip of her hair, she slid into the spot next to her.

"Hey, Cat. Long time no see," Tori said jokingly.

"Yeah, I mean a whole four hours! It's been forever," Cat giggled in response.

"Wassup amigas?" Andre greeted as he claimed his spot at the lunch table.

"Hey Andre!" Cat greeted excitedly. "Thanks again for the water this morning; I was so tired by time I made it into class."

"No prob, Little Red," he replied. "So exactly why were you late this morning?"

"Yeah, I mean normally we meet by my locker in the morning to walk to class. I figured you were sick or something. Are you feeling okay?" Tori questioned.

"Yeah, totally! I mean this morning I was kind of stressed, but only because I overslept. I barely slept last night, so when my mom told me it was time to get up I thought that it was Sunday, so I kept sleeping," Cat explained. Remembering her conversation with her mom this morning, a confused and slightly nervous look played across Cat's face.

"Are you okay, Cat? You look a little…off," Tori commented. But before she could retort, Hollywood Art's power couple strode up to the table and took their seats. At this, Cat recoiled ever so slightly; unnoticed by everyone, except Tori. She wasn't sure what exactly had bothered Cat a few seconds ago, but she was worried for her friend and wanted to find out.

"So," Jade began, "Nice of you to join us, Cat. I'm surprised you weren't late to lunch, too. Did you lose Mr. Purple again this morning?" she snickered.

Normally Cat would brush off the harsh comment from her best friend. She knew that "Jadey" was only kidding, and that she wouldn't really make fun of her. However, today Cat felt different; she felt somewhat aggravated by her friend's snide comment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cat questioned, a hint of anger evident in her voice. She began to stand up to leave, when Beck consoled her:

"You know she doesn't mean it, Cat. What I'm sure Jade was _trying _to say, was how come you were late to class this morning?"

"Ugh, fine. Whatever," Jade commented. "So, Cat. Where were you this morning? You're hardly ever late."

Cat, after having already explained it moments before, just shrugged and simply said, "Overslept." Jade knew this wasn't normally like Cat. Not only her oversleeping, but also the way she had been acting lately. I mean, sure they were used to her mood swings and what not, but for some reason this time felt different. There wasn't the same playful tone in Cat's voice when she responded. Something was definitely up.

For the rest of lunch, Cat was fairly quiet: only speaking when asked a question. Normally Cat enjoyed lunch, as she got to hang out with her best friends. But today, today felt different. As she began remembering snippets of her parents' conversation that she had not-so-accidentally overheard last night, she wondered how she could've forgotten; how after hearing what she did, she could wake up and act like her bright, bubbly self. Swimming in her thoughts, Cat pushed her strawberries around her plate, staring off into space. _God, how long until the bell rings?_ She wondered. The longer lunch went on, the more spacey she became. She just hoped that no one else would notice.

"Hey, baby girl, what's bothering you?" Beck asked her. Leave it to him to see through her. Cat, clearly hearing his question, continued staring off into space. _Maybe if I don't react, he won't ask again, _she thought. However, her little involuntary flinch in response to his question did not go unnoticed, and he continued to ask again.

"Cat, whatever's bothering you, you can tell us. You know that right?" Beck consoled her, gently rubbing her arm. Cat finally turned to face him, as if she was about to respond. The whole gang sat in anticipation, eager to know what had been troubling their petite friend. _God, I can't just _not _tell him. Beck's like an older brother to me, I should be able to trust him. I know he'll be there for me. _ Just when they thought she was about to open up, the bell rang. _Thank God. Saved by the bell, _Cat thought. And with that, she quickly stood up from her spot at the table, slung her bag over her shoulder, and began walking quickly towards the school. _How am I supposed to tell them? They won't understand. Sure they say they will, but they really won't._ With these thoughts Cat raced to her locker, threw her books inside, and turned on heel making her way to the recording studio in the back of the school. As she started around the corner, she could make out faint voices calling her name. Rather than facing her friends, she picked up her pace, and nearly ran to the studio. No one would ever think to look for her there. However, as Cat took off, a wisp of bright red hair was visible to the "voices": Beck and Jade.

"Babe, stay here. I'm gonna go see what's wrong with her," Jade demanded. Beck knew not to argue with Jade when it came to Cat. They've been best friends for ever, and he knew that Jade would be able to console her friend. After a quick peck on the lips, Jade continued on down the hallway, gaining full sight of Cat.

"Cat! Cat, please. Do you wanna talk, baby girl?" Jade called out. Cat knew that she had been spotted, but she didn't care. She took off even faster, almost in a full-on sprint to make it to the recording studio before being caught by Jade. _I can't do this right now. I don't want her to see me like this. She won't understand. She'll think I'm just overreacting,_ Cat thought. After what seemed like an endless amount of running, Cat could finally make out the studio door. As she grasped the handle and pulled herself inside, the tears started silently flowing down her cheeks, and she slid to the floor. _What am I going to do?_


	2. Chapter 2

**For those of you that've read my story so far, thanks! :) And thanks Where Butterflys Never Die for the review :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious, sadly :(**

_What am I going to do? _Thought Cat. _I can't face Jade right now, hell I can't face any of them_. _It'll be too hard, I just-_ Cat's thoughts were interrupted by a sympathetic voice outside of the studio door.

"Cat, I hate seeing you like this. Please, just let me in," Jade pleaded. "If this has anything to do with the Mr. Purple comment, I'm sorry. I was just joking around. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, and I'm sorry if I did."

Jade continued to try and reason with Cat, however she was only met with silence.

_Ugh, I can't stay in here all day. If I open the door now, she'll want to talk for sure. If I wait it out until the end of the school day, I know that she'll be the first thing I see when I walk out of this door. Why does she have to care so much?_ _It would make this a hell of a lot easier if she didn't._ As she continued to think about her best friend on the other side of the door, her parents' conversation from last night continued to replay in her head; there was no end, like a broken record. Her father's harsh words ringing in her ears: _Our daughter is sick…mentally unstable…_ and the mother of all _it's hard to love someone who constantly acts half her age. Quite frankly, if she keeps this shit up, she'll be gone by the end of the school year_. As these words replayed in her mind, the sob that Cat had been trying so hard to hold in had finally escaped. She continued sitting against the door hoping that, despite the fact that she could push open the door, Jade would respect Cat enough to leave her be. However, Cat knew better and unfortunately Jade, having heard Cat's soft, broken sob only became more persistent.

"Cat, please open up. I know you're in there. It's just me. We need to talk."

"Go away," Cat shot back, biting back sobs. _Dammit. _That _sounded convincing. _Hearing the apparent lack of venom in Cat's remark, Jade knew that she had won. Cat, completely out of energy, dragged herself to the other corner of the studio, allowing for Jade to enter. As the door swung open, Cat frantically began wiping the still-flowing tears from her cheeks, praying to God that she could compose herself enough to be able to confront her best friend. However, as soon as her eyes met Jade's a new wave of sobs wracked Cat's petite frame. _And this is why I shouldn't have let her in. I'm a mess._ Upon taking in the sight of her best friend, Jade's heart instantly crumbled; her own vision blurry with tears. Shutting the door, she knelt down to her petite friend and wrapped her arms around her frame, trying desperately to console her. Feeling safe in the embrace of her best friend, Cat melted into a puddle of tears. Her body shook violently with each sob that ripped through her body, as the tears continued to stream down her face. Jade, even though she seemed like the typical cold-hearted goth girl, was frightened and saddened by the state of her friend. She had only seen Cat like this once when they were children, after the death of her grandfather. Even then, Cat hadn't seemed _this_ upset, so Jade knew that whatever had happened had to have been pretty damn bad to make the poor girl this upset. Not knowing what to do, Jade continued holding Cat in her arms, stroking her hair and singing softly in hopes of calming her down. After about five minutes, Cat feebly spoke up:

"What am I going to do, Jadey?" the broken girl asked. Jade tried her hardest not to break down upon hearing the evident sadness in Cat's voice.

"I don't know, baby girl. But if you wanna talk, I'm here for you. I can't help you until you explain to me what's going on," Jade pressed. By this point Cat's sobs had died down, an occasional sniffle escaping here and there. Cat slowly released herself from Jade's grip, looking her in the eyes, about to open up. About ten minutes had passed since Cat had entered the studio: ten minutes of tears, ten minutes of heart wrenching sobs. She could only imagine what she looked like, but the look on Jade's face upon taking in the sight of her best friend said enough. Cat opened her mouth to begin her story, however her now-raspy voice made it hard for her to continue. Something about it seemed humorous to Cat, and a slight giggle escaped her lips.

"Cat! This is serious, you need to tell me what's going on," Jade demanded, clearly annoyed with Cat's immaturity. Cat picked up on this, and Jade's words immediately brought her back to her father's words: "_It's hard to love someone who constantly acts half her age._" And with that, Cat's giggles dissolved into tears. Jade, startled, didn't know what to do. "Cat, look. I'm sorry I snapped at you, but if you want my help you're gonna have to talk, and that means no giggling."

Cat's tears still didn't stop flowing; she just sat there, her father's words echoing in her head. However, a certain goth's voice replaced that of her father's. _This. This right here is why I shouldn't have let her in. She won't understand; she probably agrees with my father. _Instead of starting her story again, she stood up and took one last look at her friend. Jade knew what was about to happen, but the shock of the situation prevented her from stopping Cat the second time. And, quite frankly, she was becoming more annoyed at the redhead's persistent mood swings. Tears still streaming down her face, Cat reached for the door. She opened it, walking out of the room and leaving Jade motionless behind her. _Shit,_ thought Jade. _That went well._


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks everyone for the reviews! :) Sorry if they weren't going through at first; I'm still learning the ropes. **

**Mara: Thank you! It means a lot to me :) **

**CadeFrindship4vr: Yes, there will be more :) I'm currently working on chapter 12, and it's not even close to being finished.**

**Angela: Thanks! And, I may or may not have just written a chapter like that O.o**

**Here's the next chapter! It's more Bade-centric, but gives more background on Cat/Cade friendship.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious :/**

_Shit. That went well,_ thought Jade. _What the hell am I supposed to do now? She won't trust me enough to let me back in._ In defeat, Jade left the studio and began slowly walking back to her locker. A quick glance at the clock told her that her fifth period class was almost over. _I wonder if anyone even noticed that Cat and I were gone,_ she wonders. She slowly began exchanging her books, and slammed the door shut in frustration and defeat. _How could I have been so careless with Cat? I know how fragile she is, yet I went ahead and yelled at her, _Jade silently berated herself. Knowing that she had a few minutes before students would flood the empty hallways, Jade slid down her locker, and placed her head in her lap. She began to slowly rock herself, as the tears started trickling down her face. _God. Get it together, West! No one can see you like this. You're the tough, heartless goth girl. Don't break down; don't let your walls down_, she thought to herself. A minute passed, as Jade continued rocking herself in a futile effort to calm down. She heard footsteps approaching her, coming down the hall. They were slow at first, but as they came closer they grew louder and faster. Jade didn't bother looking up when the footsteps finally approached her; she was in no mood to deal with anyone. Even though she had been spotted, she didn't dare look the intruder in the eyes for fear of being spotted in her current condition. _Fuck. This cannot be happening. This _cannot _be happening. _

The stranger knelt down beside Jade, wrapping their arms around her. She flinched at the touch, wondering who the hell dared touch her. However, after a split second she recognized the familiar scent and melted into the stranger's embrace.

"Baby, hey. What's the matter? How did everything go with Cat?" Beck gently asked her.

"How do you think it went," Jade muttered- her words muffled.

"Jade," Beck started, "Jade," he repeated in a vain effort to get her to look at him. He sighed, realizing that his stubborn girlfriend needed a bit more prodding. So, he gently lifted her face off of her lap, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"Babe, you can tell me what happened. It's okay, whatever it is. I'm here, it's okay," Beck soothed.

At first Jade began to stare past Beck, avoiding his gaze. Looking into his eyes is like him looking into her soul; he can read past her tough girl front. Her bottom lip began trembling in an effort to contain her sobs, and before she knew it her gaze was locked with Beck's. Everything that she had been holding in had been released; a soft ripping noise escaped her throat as the sobs came one on top of the other. Knowing that the period would soon be over, and hundreds of nosy students would be joining the hallways, eager to know what had made the infamous Jade West crack, Beck carefully scooped up his fragile girlfriend and carried her into the janitor's closet down the hall.

Upon entering, he shifted her in his arms, allowing himself to shut and lock the door. He gazed down into his girlfriend's beautiful, crystal blue eyes and wondered what could've possibly happened between her and Cat that could fill them with such sadness. He gently kissed her, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. Carefully, he set Jade down in order to position himself on the ground. Immediately upon being placed on the ground Jade curled up into the fetal position and resumed rocking herself, trying to convince herself that she had done her best to help her friend; she knew that she was wrong. Beck carefully picked her up and slid her into his lap, gently brushing the hair back out of her face. Jade just stared into Beck's eyes, hoping that he would be able to figure out what had happened on his own; after all, he had once told her that her eyes allowed him to read her like an open book. But, of course she wasn't this fortunate, and Beck broke the silence.

"Sweetheart, I hate seeing you like this. Do you want to talk about what happened? I got you, I'm not going anywhere." At his words, Jade successfully attempted to stem the flow of her tears, and opened her mouth to explain to him.

"She ran into the old recording studio," Jade started. "I caught sight of her after you left. But by the time that I actually got to the studio, she had already run in and shut the door."

Beck looked at her in question, wondering why Jade hadn't attempted to open the door right away. Before he could ask, Jade continued:

"I thought about just opening the door. I mean, she can't weigh more than 100, 110 so I figured I could open the door no problem. But right as I was about to do it, I heard a soft sob come from the room. It broke my heart, Beck, to hear her like that." By this point the tears that Jade had so desperately tried to stop had resumed flowing, and at the sight Beck's heart broke a little more.

"Jade, baby. It's okay." He gently rocked her in a desperate attempt to calm his girlfriend; it hurt him to see Jade like this. Jade nodded as Beck wiped away her tears, urging her to continue.

"Like I was saying," she continued, "I knew enough that if I were to barge in on Cat she would only become more upset; I knew enough to respect the fact that she obviously wanted to be alone. So instead I tried to console her through the door. I kept asking her to let me in, and let her know that I was there alone, and there to help her. I wasn't going to leave her through that door."

Without even thinking about it, Jade had alluded to her harsh break-up with Beck that had only happened months before. The allusion would've gone unnoticed, had Beck not flinched with guilt; pain and remorse evident in his eyes.

"Beck, I-" Jade began. However, he was quick to interrupt.

"No, it's okay. I deserved that, and I know you didn't mean anything by it," he reasoned. Jade continued watching Beck, forgetting the matter at hand, until he gently urged her to continue.

"Anyway, I kept reassuring her that I was there to help her. Kind of like you were when you found me in the hallway. When she finally let me in, she was curled up in the back corner of the studio, trying to wipe her tears away. She always tells me that she hates it when I see her cry; like it annoys me or something. I could tell that's how she felt, because as soon as our eyes met she immediately tried to control the sobs.

"When I saw her, how broken she looked, I immediately shut the door and knelt down to comfort her. I wrapped my arms around her, rocking her gently to try and soothe her. Her sobs were uncontrollable Beck; it was heart wrenching to hear something so terrible come from someone so sweet. God, I wish I knew what was bothering her-"

"You didn't find out what was wrong?" Beck interrupted, his voice rising a bit. To this, Jade recoiled, feeling as if she had not only let down Cat, but also Beck. Seeing this, he immediately felt guilty and tried to calm her down.

"Jade, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just surprised, that's all. Cat opens up to you all the time; you're the only one that she'll talk to if something's bothering her."

"It's…it's okay," Jade started. "But yeah, she seemed inconsolable. I felt terrible. So, I did what my mother used to do to me when I was younger: I started to sing to her to calm her down."

Before Beck could interrupt, Jade added on "It took her a while, but it eventually worked. I continued rocking her to make sure that she was okay, and finally asked her what was bothering her. She tried to reply, Beck, but her voice was so hoarse; it was shot. She, of course, found her new deep voice hilarious and starting giggling like crazy." Beck continued listening to his girlfriend's story, a bit confused as to what this could possibly have to do with Cat's situation. But before he could ask, he was snapped out of his thoughts by the ever so slight ripping sound coming from his girlfriend. He looked down, and noticed the tears falling faster down her face. Worried, and even more perplexed than before, he urged her to continue.

"She kept giggling; wouldn't stop. So, me being the bitch I am-"

"Baby, you're not-" Beck started.

"Let me finish, please," Jade begged, closing her eyes. "Me, being the bitch that I am, yelled at her for giggling, telling her that I wouldn't be able to help her if she continued to sit there and laugh. As soon as the words left my lips, she started crying again. I didn't know what to do, Beck! I mean, I didn't mean to yell, but _God_ it gets so irritating how she acts sometimes. I know she can't help it, that it's just the way she is, but it gets hard, Beck." Beck nodded his head, listening to his girlfriend while trying to comfort her.

"She just sat there, staring off into space and continued crying. But when I tried to apologize and give her a hug, she stood up and walked out the door. I didn't know what to do! I know that I should've went after her again- she's obviously having a hard time dealing with this, whatever it is, Beck. I just- I-I-" Jade choked out in between sobs, "I just let her leave. She needed me, and I let her leave. God, I'm such a bitch! What if whatever she's dealing with is life or death, Beck? What if she was thinking of running away, or-or- she's clinically depressed, or-" at the thought of the last possibility, Jade's face visibly paled, which is pretty hard to do considering her already fair skin tone. Her words lingered in the air, leaving Beck wondering what could be so awful that would make Jade react in such a way. He didn't have long to think, as he was pulled out of his thoughts by a trembling that had begun rattling his body. He looked down to see Jade uncontrollably shaking in his lap, tears streaming down her face, paler than ever. It broke his heart, and he couldn't help the few tears that escaped his eyes.

"Babe, please," he choked out. "You're okay. Cat's okay. It's going to be okay." He tried rocking her, and even humming to her to try to calm Jade down, however to no avail. Beck, finally realizing what Jade had been thinking, paled and looked down at the love of his life.

"Hey, listen. Cat wouldn't do that, okay? I know she wouldn't, you know she wouldn't-"

"We don't know that!" Jade barked, instantly regretting her tone of voice. "Sorry," she muttered, "We don't know that she won't. One night, in like eighth grade, she told me that when her parents sent her brother away for his 'special problems' as she calls it, she was so depressed. She said that she didn't know who to turn to: her brother was 3,000 miles away at some mental hospital, her parents were too focused on her brother, and apparently I wasn't enough help. She told me that she had attempted suicide the night before- told me to never tell anyone. God, Beck. That, _that_ was the worst day of my life. I mean, the night of our break-up was horrendous, so you can only imagine what that was like.

"How would you feel, if you found out that your best friend felt that no one was there for her anymore? How would you feel if Andre told you that he was tired of his life, of not being enough, of feeling like a failure to his parents?" By this point, Jade's words were barely audible, as her entire frame was wracked with sobs. It was a miracle that Beck had heard everything thus far.

As Beck listened to his girlfriend he, too, could no longer control the tears that were now rolling down his cheeks. He too, shook with the sobs that wracked not only his body, but also Jade's. _How could someone so sweet and innocent, like Cat, feel this way about herself? Does she still think all of those things? _Beck thought to himself. For the rest of the day, the two remained like that in the janitor's closet: holding each other close, trying to understand what was happening to their friend. To them, nothing else mattered. All that mattered was how they were going to help Cat, and they knew that they needed to act quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reading and for the reviews! Here's the next chapter :)

Disclaimer: I don't Victorious. But I wish I did.

_~All that mattered was how they were going to help Cat, and they knew that they needed to act quickly.~_

"I can't believe that Jadey would yell at me like that," Cat muttered to herself as she walked back to her locker. "I mean, I know she was trying to help me. I know that I acted a little immature towards the end, but she should be used to that by now. What am I saying, my own father's not, why would I expect my best friend to be?" Cat continued mumbling to herself, her voice still hoarse. As she rounded the corner, she could make out faint voices coming from the janitor's closet. Curious, she forgot about her locker and quietly walked over to the door, gently pressing her ear against it.

"Hey, listen. Cat wouldn't do that, okay? I know she wouldn't, you know she wouldn't-"

_Beck? What is he-_ but before she could finish her train of thought, another voice interrupted Beck.

"We don't know that!" Jade barked out. _Jadey?_

"Sorry," she muttered, "We don't know that she won't. One night, in like eighth grade, she told me that when her parents sent her brother away for his 'special problems' as she calls it, she was so depressed…" _Oh God, why is she telling Beck about this? She promised that she wouldn't tell anybody! _Cat silently fumed. Jade continued from inside the room.

"She said that she didn't know who to turn to: her brother was 3,000 miles away at some mental hospital, her parents were too focused on her brother, and apparently I wasn't enough help. She told me that she had attempted suicide the night before- told me to never tell anyone. God, Beck. That, _that_ was the worst day of my life. I mean, the night of our break-up was horrendous, so you can only imagine what that was like."

As Cat continued listening, she was completely baffled by what she had just heard. She was there the night that Beck and Jade broke up; she was the only one that Jade would let in, the only one she allowed to console her. Cat knew how badly that had hurt her friend, and at the time, figured that that was almost unbearable to see her friend in such a state. She couldn't imagine seeing Jade crumble any more than she had that night, so to hear her confessing how she felt that night with Cat, she knew that her best friend truly did care about her.

_She really was trying to help me,_ thought Cat. _She tried helping me, and I pushed her away._ Cat once again was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Jade's voice.

"How would you feel, if you found out that your best friend felt that no one was there for her anymore? How would you feel if Andre told you that he was tired of his life, of not being enough, of feeling like a failure to his parents?"

The words that left her best friend's lips were barely audible, and Cat continued to press her ear against the door. The room became silent for what seemed like an eternity as Cat waited for Jade to continue, however all she was met with was the one sound that she would've never expected to hear coming from her friend: Jade had begun sobbing. At hearing Jade's reaction, Cat quietly sat down; her back pressed against the door, and continued to listen.

_How could I think that Jadey wouldn't care? _A few tears made their way down Cat's face, and before she thought things could get any worse, she heard a sound that she _never_ thought she would hear, ever. Beck had begun sobbing as well. The normally stoic actor had broken down, and was sobbing almost uncontrollably.

_Why didn't I listen to Beck at lunch? He obviously cares about me, and I just left him there. What have I done?_

Cat continued to sit in the empty hallway, replaying all of what she had just heard.

"_She told me that she had attempted suicide the night before…_" Jade's words echoed in Cat's head. _Wait,_ thought Cat, _they don't think this is what this is about, do they?_

_Shit._

_That was so long ago! I hope Jadey wouldn't think that I still feel that way! I need to talk to her. I need to let them know that I'm okay (well, in _that _sense). _ Cat brought herself to her feet, and brushed herself off. She probably looked like hell, but she didn't care. She couldn't care less who saw her like this; all that mattered to her was setting things straight with Beck and Jade.

_Wait, where is everyone? _She thought. But before she could think anymore, she heard a rustling noise coming from the closet, followed by the jiggle of the door handle. Afraid of being caught, Cat quickly jumped back from the door and began walking towards her locker.

A few seconds later Beck emerged from the janitor's closet holding Jade. He gently set her down and silently told her that everything was going to be alright. "You alright?" he whispered as he grabbed her hand. To this she merely nodded. Beck reached back to shut the door and they began making their way to the front entrance of the school. They didn't know how long they had been inside the janitor's closet, but they guessed that school was long over. However as they walked around the corner, they caught sight of Cat standing at her locker. Her door was open, but she continued to stand there, motionless. Remembering what they had just talked about, Beck and Jade looked at each other in shock. _She wouldn't do that here, would she?_ Beck thought. They slowly approached Cat's locker, afraid of what they might find. However upon hearing her friends' footsteps approaching her, Cat let out a distressed sigh and slowly stepped away from her locker, shutting the door. She was now facing her friends and was immediately heartbroken by their appearance.

Cat took a timid step towards her friends, standing face-to-face with Jade. A wave of relief (and also guilt) washed over Jade as she looked at her best friend and before she knew it, Cat had wrapped her arms around her and was now trying to console her.

"Jadey, it's not what you think," Cat explained. "It's not like that at all, I promise you."

Jade, a bit perplexed, released herself from Cat's grip and looked her in the eyes. "What are you talking about, Cat?" she rasped out. _Did she hear us in the janitor's closet?_ She thought.

Cat took a long look at her best friend and opened her mouth to continue:

"That was years ago, Jade. I would NEVER think about doing that again."

"Ah, so you did hear us," Beck clarified. _Great, she heard everything._

"Yes, but it wasn't on purpose! I was walking back to my locker, and heard someone talking from inside the closet. I thought the voice was familiar, so I decided to stay and listen." At this point Cat was staring at the ground, feeling guilty for eavesdropping on her friends. She looked up at them and continued: "Jadey, I'm so, so sorry if I scared you; I'm sorry if you thought this was like eighth grade all over again. Please don't be afraid, because it's not. I know you were trying to help me then, and I know that you are now. I'm sorry for pushing you away, I'm sorry for running out, I'm sorry for-" Cat rambled on.

"Cat. Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I knew you were in a fragile state, and I still snapped at you. I'm so sorry. But, if it's not that, then what is it baby girl?" Jade interrupted.

"I…I…" Cat started. The couple looked at their friend, silently encouraging her to continue. Cat opened her mouth to explain what she had heard the night before, but instead she caught a glance at the clock, which if she was reading it correctly was telling her that school had ended over an hour ago. Instead of continuing with her explanation, Cat muttered out a "Shit," and quickly made her way past her friends and towards the entrance.

Confused and slightly taken aback by the profanity, they watched her walk out the front doors.

"Not again!" Jade groaned. "She needs to tell us about whatever is bothering her; she needs our help!"

By the time Beck and Jade made it out the entrance and into the parking lot, they caught Cat climbing into her car and ran up to stop her.

"Cat…Cat…" Beck started, but Cat wouldn't listen.

"CAT!" Jade yelled out, finally finding her voice. To this, Cat turned to face her friends.

"Look, I promise you I'm not running from the problem I-" Cat started.

"Oh, really? That's _exactly _what this looks like, Cat" Jade remarked, the venom clearly restored in her voice.

"Jadey, I promise I'll tell you later. But I was supposed to be home an hour ago, my mom's gonna kill me! She told me this morning that her and my dad had some important news or something to tell me and my brother. She told me not to be late, so that Frankie and I would both be there. I have to go…now" Cat explained. Jade, seeming somewhat satisfied with Cat's answer, backed away, leaving her friend to back out of her spot, and leaving her and Beck in the deserted parking lot.

"Oh my God," Jade muttered, "that went well."


	5. Chapter 5

"Shit, my mom's gonna kill me," Cat muttered to herself as she sped around the corner to her house. Pulling up, Cat quickly shut off her car and ran towards her front door. She could hear her mother's worried voice coming from inside: "Where could she be? I told her to come home right after school." Cat took this as her cue to enter the house and slowly opened the door, stepping inside. All eyes turned to look at her as she walked into the living room.

"Mom, I'm so sorry I'm late. I know you said to come home after school, but I forgot that I had to work on a project with Beck and Jade," Cat lied. _I hate lying to my parents, but I can't let them know that I overheard them last night. Not yet, at least. _

"It's alright, sweetheart," her mother reassured her. Her father, however, was less than pleased.

"This right here is what I was talking about," Mr. Valentine commented.

"I don't think this is the right way to approach the situation; you know how fragile Caterina is," Mrs. Valentine objected.

_Brace yourself, Cat. You know what's coming. Don't cry, don't cry. _Surprisingly enough, Cat was able to keep her emotions in check and continued listening to her parents' argument.

"That's just it! She's 17 years old! She shouldn't be acting this way. She's too unstable…"

_'She's mentally unstable. It's hard to love someone that acts half of her age_' Mr. Valentine's words replayed in Cat's mind.

"…She spaces out; she forgets something not five minute after being told. She acts so childish!"

Cat turned to face her parents, looking her father in the eyes.

"Cat, you're 17 not 7! You need to learn to grow up; you're lack of maturity is getting too damn frustrating. I've put up with it for this long, but if something doesn't change-"

"If I keep this shit up, I'll be gone by the end of the school year," Cat interrupted her father.

Cat was shaking at this point, not with sobs, but rather with anger. It took everything she had to not let her anger get the best of her. She stood in front of her father, taking in the shock that spread across his face in realization of the fact that Cat had heard his conversation with his wife. Cat almost swore that she saw a hint of guilt play across his features, but they were quickly masked by anger.

"Cat, sweetheart…" her mother started.

"No, mom. It's okay. I needed to hear that, especially from my own father. I mean, if he feels that way he can't be the only one, right?" Mrs. Valentine was taken aback by her daughter's question.

"Well, I'm sorry if I've bothered you with my behavior. But has it ever occurred to you that I act this way so that I can pretend that, for once in my life, everything's okay?"

Mrs. Valentine's heart broke, feeling helpless for her daughter. Cat looked over to Frankie who continued to sit on the couch, glancing back and forth between his sister and parents in anticipation for someone to make the next move.

"I give up," Mr. Valentine muttered as he stomped his way up the stairs. Not knowing if she should accept that as a victory or defeat Cat continued standing in the middle of the living room, almost drowning in the tension that filled the room. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Frankie spoke up.

"Cat, I know what you're going through. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I can help you."  
He got up from his spot on the couch and walked over to his sister, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I mean it." And with that he, too, walked up the stairs and into his room, leaving Cat alone with her mother.

Mrs. Valentine was surprised at how well Cat had handled the whole ordeal, besides the little outburst at the end. Cat hadn't shed a single tear, nor was a single 'What's that supposed to mean?' released from her daughter's lips. However, she knew that Cat was struggling, trying to hold it all in. She walked up to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her, apologizing to her for her father's behavior.

"You know your father didn't mean it, Cat. He's just stressed is all," her mother reasoned. Cat rolled her eyes. _Yeah, stress. It's always stress_, she thought. Cat pulled back to look at her mother, trying hard to believe her mother's pathetic excuses for her father. After a few more moments, Mrs. Valentine broke the silence:

"Baby, it's okay to cry." Cat continued staring at her mother, incredulously. Her own father had grown tired of her. What if her mother had too?

"I'm fine, Mom. Really," Cat reassured her mother. _I'm not fine, not fine at all_. "I guess I caught most of the gist just now, but what exactly was the news? I don't think dad not being able to tolerate me anymore is news…" said Cat. Mrs. Valentine flinched a bit, appearing guilty for whatever reason.

"Mom, spill. I know that can't be all of it. What else is going on?" Cat pressed.

"Well, baby your father and I love you very, very much, you know that right?" Her mother asked. _Oh, God. _Great_ way to start this off, _Cat thought. She nodded.

"Well we, we meaning mainly your father, feel that if you don't sort things out by the end of this year, that you will be going to the facility that your brother went to a few years back."

Cat felt like the wind had just been knocked out of her, she knew something was coming, but she didn't expect this. Not even close.

_Instead of helping Frankie out with his mental needs, they gave up on him and shipped him across the country to "help" him. Are they going to do the same with me?_

_Instead of helping Frankie out with his mental needs, they gave up on him and shipped him across the country to "help" him. Are they going to do the same with me?_

~Fix You~

After the whole ordeal with her parents Cat had grown exhausted, and rightly so. Releasing herself from her mother's grip, Cat slowly dragged herself out of the living room and up the stairs to her room. Trudging up the stairs, Cat could hear her mother calling after her:

"Sweetie, where are you going?"

Cat only continued up to her room, ignoring her mother's question. However as she reached her bedroom she called back "To my room; I'm tired and I've had a long day."

"Cat," her mother pleaded, but her daughter had already shut the door. Cat climbed into her bed, bringing the covers up to her face, and curled into a ball. _So my parents _and _my best friend think that I'm immature. This is great. I bet that Jade agrees with my parents; she probably wants me to go to the nut house, too._ Cat peered over the top of her comforter, glancing around the room, when her eyes landed on Mr. Purple. Quietly she reached out to grab him off of her nightstand, bringing him close to her chest.

"What am I going to do, Mr. Purple? Do you think I'm crazy, too?" Cat whispered to the stuffed animal. "Oh my God, I _am_ crazy! I'm talking to a stuffed animal for God's sake," Cat chided herself. Embarrassed at her immature behavior, Cat angrily threw Mr. Purple across the room where he landed with a soft thud. Upon realizing what she had just done, Cat remorsefully got up from her bed and walked over to where the stuffed animal had landed. She noticed that Mr. Purple had landed in a pile of her other stuffed animals.

_Oh my God. This must be what my father meant when he said 'you're 17 not 7,' _Cat thought to herself. Picking through the pile of animals, she realized that she must've had _at least_ twenty or so, and just in that pile. Cat turned around, taking in the décor of her room. Her seven year old self, as her father referred to her child-like state, would have been delighted to see such a sight: cupcakes and pink glitter covered everything in sight. It would be any little girl's dream to have a room like Cat's. However, her seventeen-year-old self (her rational, almost normal self), saw something different: this Cat saw the cause of her father's stress and her mother's worries. She saw for the first time how childish she acted, and couldn't believe that it had taken threats of moving cross-country to realize what she had been doing to herself. _I need to change, _thought Cat. _If I want to keep my family and friends, something's gotta change_. Cat climbed back into her bed and pulled the covers over her head, falling into a deep sleep.

A few hours later, Cat was awakened by a soft tapping at her bedroom door:

"Cat, sweetie, dinner's ready. Please come downstairs and eat," Mrs. Valentine pleaded.

Groggily, Cat sat up in her bed with hopes that if she remained silent, her mother would think she was asleep and leave her alone. Cat knew better though, and expected that her mother would enter her room.

"Three…two…one," Cat mumbled. Like clockwork, Mrs. Valentine opened Cat's door and walked over to her bed. Sitting down on her daughter's bed, she reached out and grabbed Cat's hand.

"Cat, I know you're upset but starving yourself isn't the answer. I know you don't really want to see your father right now, either, but please just come downstairs and eat something…anything," her mother requested.

Cat lied back down amongst the mess of pillows and blankets in her bed, and shortly mumbled "I'm not hungry."

"Look, Cat, you can't avoid your father forever, but if you would prefer, you may bring your dinner up to your room and eat."

Cat sat back up in her bed, kissed her mother on the cheek, and mumbled a sincere "thank you," before walking down the stairs to grab her dinner.

When Cat hade made her way into the kitchen, she noticed that Frankie and her father were already seated at the dinner table, waiting for Cat to join them.

"Look who finally decided to wake up," Frankie started in, "you slept like a rock. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought you were dead."

Cat just nodded her head; "I guess I was tired. I didn't get the best sleep last night," she explained while glaring at her father. _Crap. Now he's gonna start in._ However, much to Cat's surprise, her father just sat there in silence. Cat finished grabbing her dinner and started making her way back up the stairs to her room.

"And where do you think you're going, young lady?" _Ah, there it is,_ thought Cat.

"To eat my dinner, why?" Cat questioned her father, as she continued walking up the stairs.

"Get back down here young lady, so we can eat dinner together," her father demanded.

"Why? So we can eat as one big, happy family? How pathetic," Cat spat back. _What the hell is wrong with me? He's gonna want to get rid of me for sure; I just continue to fuel his fire._

She ran up the stairs with her food and, once she made it to her room, slammed the door. She sat down at her desk and began mindlessly picking at her dinner. She decided to log onto the slap to try and take her mind off of her obnoxious family downstairs. Not five seconds after logging in, a chat request popped up from Jade. _Oh my God, it never ends,_ thought Cat. _I know she's trying to help, but I can't deal with anymore of this today._ Cat ignored the request, and began nibbling at her spaghetti. Scrolling through her news feed, she came across a new Wacky Donkey video that Robbie had posted earlier, and without even thinking about it, she clicked the like button. Not even a minute later, another message from Jade flashed across her screen:

"What, you can't respond to my message but you can watch Wacky Donkey videos?"

_Crap,_ thought Cat,_ I definitely didn't think that one through._

Cat continued to ignore the messages and set her chat status to idle, in desperate hopes that Jade would leave her alone for the night. However, Jade was much smarter than that and began video calling the redhead. _Oh my God, she's relentless!_ Cat slammed her laptop shut in frustration and pushed her dinner plate to the back of her desk. As Cat sat spacing out in her chair, she was startled by a knock on her door.

"Kitty Cat, it's just me."

"Come in, Frankie," Cat granted.

"Here," he said as he handed his sister a bowl. "Mom thought that you might want some dessert. Strawberry ice cream, your favorite," Frankie grinned.

Cat spun around in her chair to face her brother and couldn't help the cheeky grin that spread across her face. "Thanks, Frankie," she muttered sincerely. It was the first time all day that she had genuinely smiled, and it felt a hell of a lot better than the tears that she had become accustomed to. Seeing his sister actually smiling only made Frankie's smile grow, and he made his way over to Cat's bed. Sitting down, he turned to Cat. "You know, I know _exactly_ how you feel. When I was fifteen, I went through the same thing. Hell, my whole life I've been going through this, but when I was fifteen I finally realized that my behavior was driving a wedge between mine and dad's relationship. I couldn't help it; it was just the way that I acted. If I had any control over it, you know I would've acted differently. And I know that you feel the same way."

Leave it to her brother to know exactly how she was feeling. If they could, her eyes would've begun clouding over with tears. However due to the events of the day, her eyes ran dry. Instead, she got up out of her chair and walked over to her brother, sitting down on the bed next to him. She laid her head down on his shoulder, as they both sat in silence. It was nice: she didn't need words to reassure her that her brother was there for her. His actions had been enough.

After about ten minutes, Frankie finally broke the silence.

"You know, Cat, I'm always here for you when you want to talk. I don't care what time it is, what day it is, I'll be here for you, you know that right?"

_God, my brother's amazing. _"I know that now. Thank you, Frankie." Frankie turned to his sister, opening up his arms. With a playful roll of her eyes, Cat entered her brother's warm embrace. When the hug was over Frankie got up from Cat's bed, offering to take her dishes downstairs. As he was leaving her room, he was stopped by his mother in the hallway.

"You know, Frankie, you are quite the older brother," Mrs. Valentine told her son.

"What- how much of that did you hear, exactly?" He questioned.

"Enough," his mother replied, while hugging her son. "I'm so proud of you for helping your sister right now. I know she needs someone to turn to, someone who knows what she's going through. So, thank you for being there for her." She placed a kiss on her son's cheek, and walked back down the stairs. As Frankie began walking towards his room, Cat peered her head around the corner of her room. "She's right you, know," Cat explained. "Thank you." And with that, Cat closed her door and slipped back into her room.

Despite her nap earlier, Cat still felt extremely exhausted. A quick glance at her pearphone told her that it was nearing nine o'clock. "Ugh, I better start getting ready for school" Cat mumbled to herself. She walked over to her closet looking for an outfit for tomorrow. Looking through her closet, Cat was for once disgusted by all of the pink, lace, and flowers that comprised her wardrobe. _How am I supposed to act my age when I dress like a child?_ She scoffed. Digging through her closet, she came across a small pile of dark clothes. "I forgot about these!" Cat exclaimed as she began rifling through the newfound pile. After Beck and Jade had broken up, Jade would spend most nights at the Valentine household: it was the one place where she could forget about the heartbreak, and she surprisingly enjoyed the company of the Valentines. She had brought a pile of her older clothes to leave in Cat's closet, as her visits to the Valentine household were often spontaneous. Nonetheless, Cat was grateful that her friend had forgotten about the clothes she had left.

Cat continued rifling through the clothes until she found a black, lace long-sleeved t-shirt. _Hmm, this'll do,_ she thought. She then pulled out a pair of her black skinny jeans and black combat boots. Last year, Jade had given Cat an old pair of her combat boots in a vain attempt to try to alter her wardrobe. Jade knew that it was useless at the time, but she needed to get rid of them. Cat, however upset upon first receiving the boots, was now elated as she was trying to act and dress more maturely. After raiding her wardrobe, Cat decided that it was time to get ready for bed and she walked over to her dresser to rummage for pajamas. To her dismay, everything she pulled out was littered with cupcakes. _Well, _she thought,_ if I'm going to be more mature, I sure as hell can't wear my cupcake pajamas to bed._ So she pulled out a pair of black boxers and a sheer purple tank top. _That oughta do it,_ she thought as she climbed into bed. _Well, becoming New Cat should be fun. Ready or not, here I come, _she thought as she drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Updates are probably going to be slowing down, unfortunately. I blame school. Meh. :/ But I'm still writing! Thanks for reading this far, and for the reviews :) As always, let me know what you think! :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious :(**

Cat awoke to the sound of her alarm the next morning, signaling that it was time to get up for school. Although dreading the fact that she had to face her friends again, she had to admit that she was excited about testing out her new appearance. Maybe now that she had given up her childish wardrobe people would be able to take her seriously, like the mature seventeen-year-old she wants to be.

Cat slipped out of her bed and began preparing herself for the day ahead. As time went on, she was becoming more and more nervous about what the day would hold. _Maybe a hot shower will calm me down,_ she thought to herself. Starting the shower, Cat slipped off her pajamas and stepped into the hot water, humming contentedly when the water made contact with her skin. She relaxed almost instantly, as if the water was washing her cares away. A short while after, Cat had figured that it was about time to leave the comfort of her shower and start getting herself ready for school. She stepped out of the shower and made her way into her bedroom, approaching the bed where her clothes lay. _What am I doing? _Cat wondered, starting to second-guess her new plan. "Come on, Cat. Focus. If you want to prove yourself to be a mature seventeen-year-old, you gotta dress like one," she reminded herself. Cat slowly began dressing herself in the dark attire, and when she was done she caught a glance of herself in her mirror. She was surprised at what she saw: she expected to be afraid of the new person staring back at her. However, she kind of enjoyed her new look.

"I look just like Jadey, but with red hair," Cat giggled, slightly amused. _Ugh, don't giggle. _Cat figured that a little dark eye makeup would complete the ensemble, so she began applying her barely-used black eyeliner. "A little smoky eye shadow should finish it off," Cat mumbled to herself. By this time Cat's hair had already begun to dry naturally, resulting in soft curls cascading down her back and framing her face. "Crap," she muttered, "I really wanted to straighten it." _Oh well. _She checked herself in the mirror one last time before running downstairs to grab some breakfast, before running out the door. Luckily for Cat, she had been in such a rush that no one in her family had caught sight of her as she ran out the door, sparing her from another exhausting conversation with her parents.

Cat pulled into the school's parking lot plenty early, giving herself time to make it to her locker and meet Tori to walk to first period. As she approached the front entrance, she already noticed the many confused, albeit awestruck looks she was receiving from her peers. Cat walked past them, into the school, and up to her locker as she pulled out her books for her morning classes. As she was shutting her locker door, she noticed the increasing amount of looks she was receiving and had finally had enough.

"Is there a _problem_ with the way I'm dressed?" Cat sneered. _Whoa. First I dress like Jadey, now I'm talking like her. _

"N-no." The students whimpered as they scampered away.

"That's what I thought." She yelled after them. As she turned around to head over to Tori's locker, Robbie came up behind Cat, tapping her shoulder.

"Can I help you?" Cat asked, venom dripping from her voice. _Why can't I stop talking like this?_

"Uh, Cat?" At the sound of Robbie's voice, Cat whipped around. Her eyes were filled with remorse.

"Robbie, I'm _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to snap at you. I didn't know it was you," Cat explained.

"Hey, it's okay Kitty Cat. You're forgiven. Besides, how could I be mad at my girl?"

At Robbie's words, Cat instantly blushed. _I like Robbie so much! I can't believe I just snapped at him. This whole new Cat thing is going to be a little harder than I thought,_ she thought to herself.

"Whoa, Robbie! Who's your friend there?" Andre asked as he and Tori approached them.

"Oh my goodness! Cat! Is that you?" Tori asked, completely astounded.

Hearing her name, Cat turned around to face her friends. "Hey guys," she greeted.

"Not that there's anything wrong with the way you're dressed Little Red, but-" Andre started.

"Um, would you mind it if you stopped calling me Little Red? It's childish. Nothing personal Andre," Cat explained.

At a loss for words, Andre mumbled out a simple "o-okay?" Before Tori spoke up.

"Anyways, what Andre was trying to say was why the sudden change in wardrobe?"

"Well," Cat began to explain, "I figured that it was time to start dressing like someone my age should. I decided to dress more maturely today to test it out."

"So you dressed like Jade?" Robbie laughed, only to receive a glare from Cat.

"It was the only grown-up looking clothes that I could find, _sorry_ if it bothers you." Cat's voice began to rise.

"Sorry, Cat," Tori apologized. "It doesn't bother us at all. It's just different to see you dressing like this, that's all."

As Tori finished her apology, the bell for first period rang and the students headed towards their classroom. The teens walked in and claimed their usual spots, while Cat walked right past Beck and Jade and took her seat in the front of the classroom. Too speechless to even utter a word, Beck and Jade just looked at each other, looks of confusion displayed on their faces. Without a word they turned around to look at Tori and Andre for an explanation, only to receive looks of concern.

"What the hell is going on with Cat?" Jade mumbled to Beck.

"You would know more than I would," he responded. Before they could continue, Sikowitz entered the classroom, eager to start the day's lesson.

"Alright humans, today we're going to- good Gandhi! Cat!" Sikowitz exclaimed, startling the students.

Cat looked at him in confusion, as if nothing was wrong.

"You look very dark today, Cat. What's the occasion?" Sikowitz inquired.

"Why does there have to be an occasion for me to dress like this?" Cat asked, growing even more aggravated. "Is there something wrong with me experimenting with my wardrobe every now and then?"

Everyone in the class was completely astounded by Cat's remark; even Sikowitz. Jade turned around to look at her friends, a startled look appearing on her face. No one knew what to say; they were just as shocked as she was. Jade turned back around, facing Beck. "What's happening to her, Beck?" she questioned, as she laid her head on his shoulder. Not sure what to say to comfort his girlfriend, Beck took her hand in his and simply said "I don't know babe, but I sure wish I did."

Lost in their thoughts, the couple began listening to the rest of Sikowitz's ramblings, only to be interrupted by the bell.

"And that, class, is how I fell in love with coconuts. Any questions?"

Of course the students didn't reply to their teacher, but instead fled the room before hearing anymore. Cat tried to blend in with the fleeing students (or the shruggers, as Sikowitz referred to them), as she tried to escape the interrogations she had been expecting from her friends. She had gotten away with it at first, too. Thinking that her friends would find her, she continued down the hall towards her math class.

"Phew, that was close," she murmured as she reached for the door.

"Not so fast, Cat," she heard someone say from behind her. _Seriously, I can't get a break at _all?

Cat turned around to face the voice: Beck. _Where's Jade?_ She thought.

"Cat, please. You promised us yesterday that you would explain what's going on. We're just trying to help you, but it's pretty hard to do that when you keep getting away," Beck stated.

Guilty, Cat took a shy step towards her friend. _I really owe it to them to explain what's been going on, especially after yesterday. I can't let them think that that's why I've been acting so different lately._

Beck patiently remained where he was. He knew that when Cat was ready, she would approach him.

Cat, trying to stall, piped up "Where's Jade?"

"She went into the bathroom, in case you decided to run in there before I could get to you," he reasoned.

Cat timidly took another step towards Beck, before she could hear someone coming down the hall screaming her name.

"CATERINA HANNAH VALENTINE!"

"I think I found Jade," Beck chuckled.

"Cat! This isn't-" Jade began. However, noticing her friend in the middle of the hallway, she lowered her voice.

"Cat! What the heck is going on with you? You can't run forever you know," Jade scolded her, causing Cat to step away from her and Beck.

"Babe, I was so close. _So_ close," Beck complained.

"Think what you want, Beckett," Cat sneered. _Did I just _sneer_ at Beck?!_

"Did you just sneer at Beck?" Jade questioned, incredulously.

"Oh my God, what am I doing?" Cat whispered to herself.

"You tell me," Jade responded.

_Ugh, they heard that._

"Beck, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," Cat started to apologize.

"It's okay. Obviously something is bothering you; I-"

Beck was interrupted by Jade clearing her throat.

"WE want to help you, Cat," he finished.

Cat just stared at the ground, scuffing the floor with her combat boots. After a few minutes of silence, Cat finally looked back up at her friends. They stared back at her with looks of hurt and confusion. _God! Why is it every time I open my mouth, I hurt them? Everything I do, even when I don't do anything, hurts my friends._ A familiar feeling washed over Cat. _Oh God, Cat. Don't cry, whatever you do, do NOT break down. Not here._

"I don't know what you're going through Cat, but I'm here to help you. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. You've always been there for me when I needed you most, especially this past year," Jade explained, causing Beck to flinch.

Cat continued looking at the ground, trying to blink back the tears that were fighting to escape. Jade took note of this and took a step towards her best friend.

"Cat?" she asked, but was only greeted with silence. However, she noticed a lone tear start to trickle down Cat's face.

"Cat," Jade breathed, as she approached her friend. She was scared; after Cat's recent outburst, she wasn't sure how Cat would respond if she tried to comfort her. Surprising to Beck and Jade, Cat looked up from where she was staring at the ground, meeting Jade's apprehensive gaze.

"Cat, I know that I can be a bitch, and it may seem like I don't care sometimes, but I do. It hurts me to see you like this, Cat. No matter what's bothering you, I'll be here. I'll always be here for you. I love you, baby girl."

In all the years that they had been best friends, Cat had never heard Jade utter these words to her. Beck, too, was completely shocked at the words that had just left his girlfriend's mouth. Cat took another step towards Jade, and replied "I love you, too Jadey," the tears coming faster now. Closing the distance, Jade approached Cat and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"It's okay, Cat. I'm here for you," Jade reassured her friend.

"I'm…so…sorry," Cat choked out.

"Sorry for what, for crying?" Jade asked the redhead. Cat nodded in response, as Beck walked up to the best friends.

"Don't be, Cat. It's alright. You needed this; you need to let if off your chest." He glanced at the clock, realizing that second period would be ending any minute. "Come on, Cat, I'll take you home," he offered.

"No," Cat mumbled.

"What was that?" Jade asked curiously.

"Do you want me to take you home, Cat?" Beck asked a second time, this time met with a more powerful response from Cat.

"NO! Please, I don't want to go home; I can't go home," Cat begged, a constant flow of tears streaming down her face.

Jade's face contorted with worry upon hearing Cat's desperate pleas, and she placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay."

"If you don't want to go home, Cat, I can take you back to my RV," Beck gestured.

Cat slowly nodded her head in agreement, too drained to speak up.

"I'm coming, too," Jade demanded. There was no way she was leaving Cat's side.

Just as the bell was about to ring Beck carefully scooped up Cat, cradling her to his chest, and headed out the door to his car. Jade followed close behind, opening the car door and helping Beck to position their friend in the backseat. She climbed in the backseat after Cat, helping her to lie down and placed her head in her lap. Beck looked back to check on the girls and flashed Jade a reassuring smile, silently telling her that it would all be okay. Jade, however, could not return the smile and instead began absentmindedly stroking Cat's hair, singing softly to her in hopes of lulling her to sleep.

_Lights will guide you home, _Jade began.

_And ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you._

Cat stirred a little in Jade's lap before finally falling asleep. Feeling emotionally exhausted herself, Jade drifted off to sleep.

Before long, they had pulled up to Beck's RV. Realizing how quiet the car had become, Beck turned around to check on the girls, finding them both fast asleep.

"How cute," Beck chuckled to himself. If Jade knew that he had seen her like this, she'd kill him.

Beck quietly got out of the car and walked over to the other side of the car to try and take the girls out. He carefully lifted Cat's head off of Jade's lap and lifted her out of the car, pulling her close to his chest. She immediately rested her head on Beck's shoulder, while he carried her into the RV to set her on his bed.

"I'll be right back, Cat," he promised her as he went to retrieve Jade.

When he got back to the car, he noticed Jade starting to stir. Quickly, he picked her up out of the car and cradled her to his chest.

"Hey. It's okay, go back to sleep," he soothed.

That was all it took, as Jade quickly resumed sleeping. Beck gently carried her into his RV and placed her on his bed next to Cat. Carefully, he pulled the blankets up and tucked them in before placing a gentle kiss on each of their foreheads. Exhausted himself, Beck collapsed on his couch and before long had fallen fast asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for reading and the reviews! Here's the next chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.**

"Hi, hi!" Cat called as she spotted Jade at her locker; no answer.

_Hmm, she probably just didn't hear me. _

"Hi, Jadey!" Cat tried again, but still to no avail.

"God, she's just too much anymore," she heard someone say. Cat quietly backed around the corner, and continued to listen.

"I can't take it anymore! Why does she act like such a baby? She's a senior in high school."

"Jadey?" Cat sniffled. Jade stepped away from her locker, revealing the other voice.

_Beck?! _Cat continued to listen.

"I don't know what the hell is up with her, but I can't put up with her crap anymore. I'm surprised she hasn't been shipped off, just like her brother," Jade continued.

_Why, Jadey?_

"Well, one thing's for sure. If she doesn't stop acting like such a child, she's gonna lose me as a friend. It's hard to love someone that acts half her age," she heard Beck say.

_First my father, then my best friends? Maybe he was right._

Cat, trembling, made her way around the corner and to her locker.

"Hey, Cat," she heard Jade call out behind her.

"Whatty?" she asked in a small voice.

"God, Cat! Can't you just act like a normal human being?!" Jade fumed.

Cat, completely confused, began backing away from her friend.

"Go ahead, back away from me. You can run from your problems, but you can't hide from them. God, I can't wait for the day that they dump you off at the mental ward. It'll be the best day of my life."

"Jadey…why?" Cat asked, her heart shattered.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"But-"

"Cat, I swear on Beck's life that if you don't leave right now, I will personally take you to that nut house in New Jersey," Jade threatened. Beck chuckled lightly, then turned to Cat:

"I can't believe we tried to help you; you were such a waste of time. You're a lost cause."

Cat simply nodded her head, too shocked for words, before she started backing away.

All of a sudden, her parents appeared in the hallway.

"Cat, sweetie, let's go," Mrs. Valentine requested.

"But…what? Where are we going?" Cat replied.

"To New Jersey; we can't help you out anymore, Cat. We're done," her father answered coldly.

Cat stood still, not wanting to believe a single word her father had just said. In response, Cat's father scooped her up and tried to dragged her out of the school.

"NO! DADDY, NO! I can change, PLEASE!" She screamed.

Cat spotted Robbie walking down the hallway, and called out for him in a desperate attempt to escape her father's grasp.

"ROBBIE! ROBBIE! Stop him, he's taking me away!" she pleaded.

Robbie turned to Cat with a look of sympathy, and it quickly turned to disgust.

"It's hard to love someone that acts half of her age," and with that he continued walking down the hall.

_First my parents, then my friends, and now the boy that I thought would love me, no matter what. _

As her father carried her out the door, she continued thrashing in her father's arms.

"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME _DOWN_!" But it was no use, no one listened.

_"It's hard to love someone that acts half her age"_ Robbie's voice replayed in Cat's mind.

Terrified, Cat shot up in Beck's bed. _Oh my God. It was just a dream._ However, she couldn't seem to calm herself down; her breath was quick and labored, and tears came streaming down her face. She looked around the RV and noticed that Beck and Jade were fast asleep. Reaching for the nightstand, Cat grabbed her pearphone.

"11:30," she mumbled under her breath. _I was only out for an hour and a half?_

Careful not to wake up her friends, Cat quietly got out of bed and made her way out of the RV.

"That was awful." Cat didn't know what to do; she knew that she needed to try and calm herself down, but she didn't know how. _I wonder if I take a walk if I can be back before Beck and Jade wake up._ And without a second thought she continued out of Beck's driveway, and down the road. Cat continued walking around Beck's neighborhood for what seemed like hours, trying desperately to process her dream. Exhausted, Cat sat down on a nearby bench and looked up to the sky.

"What am I supposed to do?" she said to no one. _I can eventually deal with my parents growing tired of me, but my best friends? ROBBIE?_ As Cat continued to sit on the bench, she felt a few cold drops hit her face. _Great. Just what I need: rain. _Cat stood up from the bench, and started making her way to back to the RV. It had been an hour since Cat awoke from her dream, and she figured she should make her way back before Beck and Jade wake up. As she walked back, flashbacks from her dream replayed in her mind:

_God, Cat! Can't you just act like a normal human being?! _Jade. _Is Jadey growing tired of me?_

_If she doesn't stop acting like such a child, she's gonna lose me as a friend. _Beck. _Beck never gets upset. But now he does, because of me._

_ I can't wait for the day when they drop you off at the mental ward. It'll be the best day of my life._

As she mulled over her friends' words, Cat's eyes began to tear up. _I know it's just a dream, but do they really feel like that?_ Cat continued walking back to the RV, completely drenched from the relentless rain falling from above. _How ironic,_ Cat thought. _Well, for once I'm happy it's raining. No one will know I was crying._ To Cat, the rain actually felt soothing. It didn't matter to her that she was soaked to the bone; it didn't bother her at all. Cat eventually approached Beck's RV, silently praying that her friends were still asleep. She whipped out her pearphone to check the time.

_1:00?! Shit!_ _There's no way that they're still asleep._ However, Cat didn't want to go inside; she was afraid of what might be on the other side of that door. _Jade will probably just think that I'm trying to run again,_ she thought. _I can't deal with an angry Jade._ She figured that Beck would be worried sick, as well; he's like her older brother. Worried for how her friends might react, Cat quietly climbed up onto the top of Beck's RV. Jade had once told Cat that when she would go to Beck's house after a fight with her father, she would climb up on top of the RV; it was like her safe haven, especially when it was raining as she claimed that it would wash her cares away. The rain hadn't let up at all by this point, but Cat was glad. She simply sat on the roof of the RV, looking up into the falling rain. _This is nice. It really does make you feel a whole lot better_. Cat continued looking up at the clouds, as she swung her legs back over the roof of the RV, lying down against the cool steel. Relaxed, Cat was starting to fall back asleep. However, just as she was about to slip under, she was startled by a rustling in the RV below her. _Shit, they're awake._ Not knowing what to do, Cat remained in her position- listening and waiting. The door flew open with a bang, and Jade stormed out to Beck's car.

"We'll find her babe. Call me if you find anything?" she heard Beck say.

Jade simply nodded, and backed out of his driveway.

_Oh my God. She didn't even see me! I feel awful._

"Cat, please be okay. Wherever you are." _Beck._

Despite seeing her friends' reactions, Cat remained atop the RV. _Now I really don't want to get down._

All of a sudden, she felt her phone ringing in her back pocket. _Crap,_ she thought. The phone vibrated against the RV, causing an obnoxious rattling sound. She heard the door shut once again, and watched as Beck stood outside.

"That's strange, what's that noise?" she heard him ask.

_No, no, no. Shit. _Cat desperately tried to silence her phone, however it slipped from her hands and landed on the ground below with a loud clatter. Startled, Beck whipped around to see where the noise had come from and reached out to grab the phone.

"Cat's phone?" he wondered. _Wait…_

He looked up to his RV, and noticed red hair splayed out across the roof.

"Cat," he breathed.

Knowing that she had been found, Cat made one last useless attempt to remain unseen as she covered her face with her hands. Beck had begun ascending the stairs to the roof, and when he caught sight of Cat he let out a sigh of relief.

Cat, nervous of what was to come, quickly sat up and turned around, swinging her legs back over the side of the RV. She knew avoiding Beck's gaze would only spare her a few seconds, but a few seconds was better than none. Beck sat down beside Cat, wrapping his arm around her.

"You know, next time you decide to run off, could you spare me the heart attack and leave a note?" he asked, lightly.

_What was I afraid of? _thought Cat. She continued to sit with Beck, in silence.

"Have you been up here this whole time?" he asked, trying to break the silence. However, Cat remained quiet.

"Cat?" he tried again. With a sigh, Cat turned to face Beck and mumbled "No."

"Well, would you mind explaining to me what happened? You were there when we fell asleep, and the next thing I know you're just…gone."

Cat didn't know where to start. _Should I tell him about the dream? I don't want to upset him anymore._

Beck waited patiently, until Cat finally opened her mouth to explain.

"I woke up and you were still asleep. I was…bored, so I decided to take a walk," she finished.

"So to have fun, you decided to walk around in the rain?" Beck laughed.

"Well…" _should I tell him?_

"Yes?" Beck pressed.

"I…Jade told me that whenever she's having a rough day, walking in the rain helps her to clear her mind."

"Ah, I see," he started. "What time did you leave?"

"I remember waking up at 11:30, and leaving shortly after that, so…"

"You've been out in the rain for two hours?" he asked incredulously. "Where did you go, exactly?"

Cat continued to explain how she had walked around Beck's neighborhood, remembered passing a bench somewhere along her walk, and just sitting there for a few minutes.

"By that time I realized that I'd been gone for an hour. I was terrified that I would make it home and you and Jade would be awake. I figured that I should start making my way back.

"I've been back for about a half hour, but I was too afraid to step into the RV," she admitted sheepishly. "I didn't wanna deal with an angry Jade, so I just climbed up here instead."

"Cat," Beck sighed. "Jade wasn't angry; neither was I. We were more worried than anything. We woke up and you were just gone; no note or anything. Besides. It's pretty shitty outside, so there's that."

"I actually kind of like it," Cat admitted. "It's like the rain washes my cares away; it's relaxing."

"Does this have anything to do with what you were going to tell me and Jade?"

Cat sat silent for a moment, until finally answering with an "uh-huh."

"Cat," Beck sighed as he rubbed her back. "When Jade gets back, we're talking about this."

"Where did Jadey go, anyway?" Cat asked.

"Well when we saw you were gone, she went driving around to go find you."

"I know that much, I saw her leave," Cat muttered quietly.

"You saw her leave…but still sat up here?" Beck questioned, slightly irritated.

But before Cat could answer, Beck's phone started to ring. "Jade," he explained, answering the call.

Cat couldn't make out any words, but she heard how frantic Jade sounded. _Good job, Cat._

"Baby, calm down-"

"Do NOT tell me to calm down, Beckett!" Beck cringed at Jade's words and tried again.

"Babe? I've got her; she's fine," he reassured his girlfriend, hearing a click on the other end of the line.

Not even five minutes later Jade came pulling up into Beck's driveway, flinging herself out of the car. She was greeted by the sight of Beck and Cat on the roof, and ran up to the RV.

"Cat!" she called out, standing below them.

"I'm scared, Beck," Cat whimpered as she pressed her face into his shoulder.

"So is she, Cat," he responded.

Beck carefully helped Cat off of the RV and led her over to Jade. Cat felt extremely guilty for the trouble that she had caused, but felt even worse once she noticed the tears that were threatening to fall from Jade's eyes. Jade walked over to Beck, and the three entered the RV in silence.

Sitting down on Beck's bed, Cat looked down and began playing with her hands. Beck placed a light hand on Cat's shoulder, and began to prompt the redhead. "So, do you wanna explain to Jade what you told me?" Cat looked up at Jade, and explained everything: how she was "bored" and decided to take a walk. How she hoped to make it back before anyone woke up, and how she watched Jade leave, but was too afraid to stop her.

"I should be furious at you, Cat," Jade began, making Cat flinch. "But I'm not. I'm just glad that you're okay. Even though you're soaking wet," she added, a small smile gracing her lips.

"So," Beck started, "do you want to explain the _real_ reason you decided to take a walk?"

"Shit," Cat muttered. "I already told you, I was bored so I-"

"You don't have to hide anything, Cat," Jade interrupted.

"I had a bad dream," she started.

"…And?" Beck pressed.

"And…it was awful, Beck. I was at school, and was walking to Jade's locker. When I was walking around the corner, I heard you two talking," Cat stopped, trying to maintain her composure.

"What were we saying, Cat?" Jade asked her friend.

"Well, I heard Beck talking first. He was saying that if I don't change, that I'm gonna lose him as a friend. He said that it was hard to love someone that acts half her age," she continued, too afraid to look her friend in the eyes. Beck's heart broke for his friend; _does she really think I'd say that?_

"Then I heard Jade," Cat continued in a low voice. Cat's tone was all it took for the goth to know that what Cat had heard was awful. "She said that she's surprised that I haven't been shipped off to the mental ward, like my brother- said it to my face. She told me that when that day comes, it will be the happiest day of her life, and that if I didn't change, she was going to take me there herself."

Beck and Jade sat in complete silence, heartbroken.

_Why are they so quiet?_ Thought Cat. _Oh my God, that's how they really feel, isn't it?_

Finally, Jade broke the silence. "Cat," her voice cracking, "how could you _ever_ think we'd feel this way? If you ever were to leave to that mental hospital, it would be the worst day of my entire life. I don't know what I would do without you. I would probably go crazy, no pun intended," she added on, earning an ever-so-slight giggle from her friend.

"Cat," Beck spoke up, "you know that no matter what, I'll always love you. Jade, too. I promise you," he said, reassuringly rubbing Cat's back.

Cat closed her eyes, remembering the end to her dream. "There's more. Jade told me to get away from her, so I started backing away. Then my parents showed up, telling me that it was time to go to New Jersey. When I wouldn't move, my dad picked me up and tried carrying me out the door. I kept screaming and thrashing, trying to make him set me down. But neither of you would help me. Then I saw Robbie coming down the hall, and called out to him. He looked sad at first, then angry, and he told me 'it's hard to love someone who acts half of her age,' and just left me there, and let my dad drag me out of the school. I thought it hurt to hear you and Beck say all of those things about me, but when Robbie said it? God, it hurt _so _bad. How would you feel, Jade, if Beck said something like that to you?"

"Baby girl," Jade wrapped her arms around her petite friend. "That would _never_ happen. Robbie likes you, _a lot_. You know he would never say that. And if someone did try and take you away from me, I wouldn't let them. You better believe that," she said as she stroked Cat's hair.

"Cat, why didn't you wake us up after you had the dream?" Beck questioned, carefully rubbing her back.

"I didn't wanna bother anyone. I figured I do that enough as it is," she added under her breath, hoping that no one heard her.

"Well, normally I'm pretty pissy if someone tries to wake me up. But I wouldn't have cared, Cat," Jade explained. "This is pretty harsh."

Jade's head snapped up, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Was that you that was shouting earlier?'" Jade asked.

Cat nodded shyly, embarrassed that someone had heard her outburst.

"Cat, I'm so sorry! I thought I was just hearing things. Beck's little neighbor is quite the drama queen, so I just assumed it was her," she apologized.

"Was that you crying earlier, too?" Beck asked, rubbing circles on Cat's back.

"Uh-huh," Cat answered quietly.

"Oh, Cat," Jade spoke up. "Next time you have a bad dream, or something like this happens again-"

"Or decide to leave," Beck interrupted, gaining chuckles from the girls.

"Or decide to leave," Jade laughed, "you can wake us up; we're here for you. I'm sorry if you felt that you'd bother us, because you wouldn't."

"Cat," Beck started, "how come in your dream your parents were taking you to New Jersey?"

"Yeah," Jade agreed, "and how come Beck and Robbie both said 'it's hard to love someone who acts half her age'?"

"Uh-I-" Cat stammered.

"Does this have to do with what was bothering you yesterday at lunch, sweetie?" Beck asked.

Cat simply nodded, afraid of what was coming next.

"Well what's going on, Cat?"

Taking a deep breath, Cat started her story.

"The other night, I accidentally overheard my parents talking to each other. I heard my father telling my mom that I'm too immature- unstable- and that he's going to ship me off to the mental hospital that Frankie went to a few years ago. That's why I was screaming about New Jersey," she turned to Jade.

"I also heard him say 'it's hard to love someone that acts half her age, Joan,' and finished by saying that if I don't get my shit together by the end of the school year, that he's gonna send me off to Jersey. I was so upset that night that I could barely sleep. I overslept, as you know, and when we made it to lunch I started remembering little snippets of my parents' conversation.

"My father's words about him not being able to love me anymore, that's why I got up from the lunch table. I couldn't take it anymore. It hurt bad enough the first time I heard those words, but as they kept replaying in my mind, it was too much. I'm sorry that I didn't explain to you earlier, Beck. You were only trying to help me, and I ignored you. And Jade? I'm sorry that I didn't open the door sooner, and sorry that I didn't explain to you what happened. I'm sorry for giggling when you were trying to help me, and also for walking out of the studio. I-"

"Cat." Jade cut her off. "You don't have to apologize. I understand, now, that you wanted some time to yourself. So, _I'm_ sorry."

"Don't be, Jadey," Cat dismissed. "You did everything you could. Shoot, you even chased me through the halls," Cat chuckled, earning smiles from Beck and Jade.

"I can't believe your father said that to you, Cat," Beck added, dumbfounded.

"Oh, wait. It gets better," Cat added sarcastically. "I was an hour late yesterday, and when I walked in the door my dad started in on me, saying that I was being immature by coming home late; that it was immature of me to cause my mother to worry about me. He told me that I'm seventeen, not seven, and that I need to start acting my own age. He said he's tired of my mood swings, and that I'm mentally unstable- that I need help.

"I may have egged him on by saying 'what, if I don't get my shit together I'll be gone by the end of the school year?'"

"You didn't say that, did you?" Jade asked, proudly.

"I did. But not to be smart, I was just so angry! How can a daddy sit there and yell at his daughter? Sit there and tell her that she's messed up, and that he's gonna get rid of her because he can't deal with her anymore?

"And then, I went up to my room for a little bit before my mom called me down for dinner. She told me that I could bring my food up to my room, so I didn't have to see my dad. When I went downstairs, he demanded that I eat at the table with the rest of my family like one big happy fucking family, and I just went back upstairs.

"That's when I went on the Slap and you tried to message me, Jadey. Sorry that I didn't answer. I had enough of that crap for one day; I didn't wanna deal with it anymore. Anyways, when I was looking for an outfit for school, I realized that my father was right: I'm so immature! Everything in my closet is all cupcakes, pink, and sparkles. So, I figured if I wanted to act mature I needed to dress like it. That's when I came across a pile of your clothes in my closet, Jade."

"I knew those were mine!" Jade stated, looking down at her friend.

"Uh, Jade has a pile of clothes in your closet?" Beck asked.

"That's for another day," Jade snapped. "Anyway, continue Cat?"

"So I pulled out your lace shirt, found my black skinny jeans, and also the combat boots you gave me last year." Beck seemed at a loss for words as to why Jade gave Cat a pair of her boots, but decided to let it slide. "The next morning when I was getting ready, I figured that to complete the look that I should put on the dark eye makeup like you wear," she gestured to Jade, "and I planned on straightening my hair, but I ran out of time.

"When I got to school, everyone kept staring at me. Like it was some big thing that I decided to dress the way I did. It pissed me off! So I may have pulled a Jade and yelled at them, sending them running down the hall." Beck chuckled a bit at Cat's choice of words, and was cut short by Jade's signature death glare.

"Tori and Andre came up to me. Andre called me Little Red, and I snapped at him saying that the nickname was immature and that I wanted him to stop calling me that. We ended up walking to Sikowitz's together, and…you know the rest," she finished.

"So…you're dressing like this try and act more mature?" Jade asked, astounded.

"Well, yeah. I figured that it's hard to take someone seriously when they're covered in cupcakes and rainbows," Cat deadpanned.

"What did your parents say when they saw you this morning?" Beck questioned.

"Nothing; I ran out before they got the chance, thank God. One less problem I have to deal with."

Beck laughed lightly, but stopped, turning to face Cat. "Your parents really said that they were going to send you across the country to a mental hospital?" he asked, the sadness evident in his voice.

"Yeah," Cat muttered quietly. "I don't know what to do! Frankie said that he'd be there for me, no matter what happened, but what if that isn't enough?" Cat's voice began shaking.

"Baby girl," Jade soothed. "We'll be there for you, and I know that the rest of our friends will be, too. We'll help you. And besides, if your parents do try and take you away, it won't go down without a fight; I won't let them take you from me."

"Don't worry, Cat. We're here for you," Beck reassured her. And for the first time in the past few days, Cat felt okay. Her friends were there for her, and for that she was grateful.


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy friday! :) These next couple of chapters are fairly short, so I'm going to do a double update today :) First one's kind of a filler, but it's important later on. Anyways, hope you enjoy! And like always, let me know how I'm doing :)**

Cat walked up the front porch to her house, skeptically placing her hand on the door handle. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought as she carefully opened the door.

"Hi, sweetheart. How was school?" Mrs. Valentine greeted from the couch, before taking in the sight of her daughter.

"Cat! What happened, baby?" _Crap._

"Uh, school was good, Mom. And I'm kind of wet," Cat answered.

"I can see that," her mother chuckled. "What, you forgot to take your clothes off before you showered?"

"No, Mom," Cat giggled. _Dammit, Cat, quit giggling!_

"Well, do you want to talk about it? Or should we talk about what you're doing in Jade's clothes?" her mother asked.

_How does everyone know they're Jade's? God forbid I own a few dark pieces of clothing._

Mrs. Valentine took Cat into the kitchen, where she threw her bag on the floor.

"To answer your first question, I took a little walk outside earlier," Cat explained.

"While you were at school?" her mother asked, confused.

"Um, about that," Cat started, earning an expectant look from her mother. "I left early," she muttered, kicking at the ground.

"You _skipped_ school? Caterina Hannah-"

"'Caterina Hannah Valentine,' I know, I know. But, I wasn't feeling well earlier. After first period I felt pretty bad, so Beck and Jade took me back to Beck's RV."

"That was nice of them," her mother remarked sarcastically. "Why didn't you just come back here?"

"Because I didn't want to be alone in case I got sick or something," _I hope that's good enough._

Mrs. Valentine stared at her daughter, puzzled, but urged her to continue. "Okay, go on."

"And Jade came with me because…well, I don't actually know why. Wherever Beck goes, Jade goes I guess. But anyways, when we got back to Beck's we fell asleep. I woke up a little while later from a bad dream, probably from being sick, and went to take a walk. And then it started raining," Cat explained. _Man, I hate lying to my mom._

"Okay, well how are you feeling now, sweetie?" her mother asked.

"Fine. I think I just needed to sleep it off."

"And the reason you're wearing Jade's clothes is because…?" Mrs. Valentine wondered.

"I just felt like dressing differently today. I think I'm just getting tired of all the pink and glitter," Cat reasoned. _Well, that wasn't a _complete_ lie._

Mrs. Valentine continued staring at her daughter, deciding whether or not to buy her excuse. "Okay, Cat. But if something's bothering you, you know that you can talk to me, right?"

"Yes, mom. Thank you," Cat responded as she made her way to the stairs. "I'm gonna go shower; I feel disgusting," and with that she bounded up the stairs and to her room.

**~Fix You~**

After her shower, Cat sat down at her computer and logged into the Slap. Scrolling through her news feed, she noticed an update from Tori:

"Cat, where did you go? I missed you in math today." Feeling: searchy

She also came across one from Andre:

"I miss Little Red." Feeling: confused.

_Ugh, why can't they just accept the fact that I've changed? Well, am trying to change._

Cat shut her laptop and began rifling through her desk, looking for a pencil to start her homework. She reached her hand in the back of her drawer, where she felt a small piece of paper. Curious, she pulled it out and began examining it.

_Remember, I'm always here for you._

_~Frankie_

"God, I have the best brother ever."

"Can't argue with that," Frankie said as he strode into his sister's room, causing Cat to jump.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you?" he asked, winking at his sister.

"Maybe," Cat laughed as she playfully punched his shoulder.

Frankie walked over to Cat's door, "Mind if I shut this?"

"Uh, no. I guess not," Cat answered, somewhat confused.

Frankie sat down on his sister's bed, patting the spot next to him. Cat got up from her desk, joining her brother. "Um, yes?"

"I know what you're doing, Cat," he started.

_Shit._

"What are you talking about?" she asked in her airy voice. _Wow. I haven't used that voice in a while._

"Cat. Come on, I went through the same thing. 'Maybe if I look the part, they'll think that I've changed.' Believe me, it's not going to work for long."

"Frankie, I'm not playing any part. This is who I am now, so take it or leave it," Cat answered, flustered. "I'm just tired of people treating me differently, because I act like such a baby. Hell, even I'm getting tired of my immaturity. It's time I grow up. So, that's what I'm gonna do."

Defeated, Frankie got up from his sister's bed and made his way to the door. "Whatever, sis. Just promise me something? Don't let dad get to you. I know that this is the real reason you're doing this. He's not worth it; his opinion isn't either. Just, don't lose sight of yourself, okay?" And he was gone.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about; I'm fine. Dad's not the reason I'm doing this." _Way to lie to yourself, Cat, _she silently berated herself. Cat stood up from her bed and made her way back to her desk, where she caught sight of herself in her full-length mirror.

_Not bad,_ she thought, noting her new ensemble: black yoga pants and tank top. _Not an ounce of pink nor a single cupcake in sight,_ she praised herself.

"I'm home!" She heard her dad announce from downstairs. _Great. Just what I need._

Acting as if nothing was wrong, Cat walked down the stairs to greet her father. She figured that the more she avoided him, the worse the situation would become.

"Hi, dad," she greeted her father as she kissed him on the cheek. "How was work?"

"Hi, Cat. And fine, sweetheart." Taking in the full appearance of his daughter, he added "Nice to see you've ditched the cupcakes and rainbows." Cat flinched at his words but was also a little excited, as her father had given her his approval. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Cat's father seemed content with her. _Let's see how long this'll last, _Cat thought.

"So, what's for dinner?" Mr. Valentine asked his wife as he turned to her.

"I was thinking we could just order a pizza? Maybe watch a few movies?" she replied, and then continued, "that is, if your stomach feels up to it, Cat." _Nice. Thanks, Mom._

Cat's father turned to her, but before he could open his mouth to ask Cat interrupted him, "It's nothing, Dad; I feel fine. I just slept it off." She turned to Mrs. Valentine and added, "yeah, Mom. That's sounds great," before she walked out of the kitchen.

_Wow. Am I actually going to have a normal night with my family?_ She thought to herself. Feeling content at the moment, Cat carried herself up the stairs to finish (or more like restart) her homework.

After a couple hours, Mrs. Valentine's voice could be heard from down stairs. "Cat, Frankie! Dinner's here!" Cat's head snapped up from her desk, where she had fallen asleep in the midst of doing her math homework.

"Just my luck that I would fall asleep," she muttered. She walked out her door and bounded down the stairs, greeted by the smell of pizza. Grabbing a piece, Cat threw it on a plate and joined her family on the couch.

"So, what movies are we watching?" she asked.

"It's your night to choose, Cat. Pick whatever you'd like," her mother answered her.

A slight groan escaped her father's lips, only to be met by Mrs. Valentine's glare.

"Don't give me that, Joan. I'm not going to sit and watch the Little Mermaid or Lion King again. She's too damn old for those movies," he grumbled.

"Actually, I was gonna ask if we could watch 'Django,'" Cat replied. This earned wide-eyed looks from every member of the Valentine family; they were completely baffled by the fact that Cat had requested such a movie.

"What?" _What, not whatty. That's not weird at all._ "Dad and Frankie have been talking about seeing it, so why not?" she reasoned. Still confused, Mr. Valentine put in the movie and sunk back into the couch.

After what seemed like forever, the credits finally began rolling. _Thank God. Three hours is just too damn long,_ thought Cat.

"Well, I'm going to go up to bed," Cat announced as she got up off the couch. It was only 8:30, which was fairly early for Cat. Normally her parents would question her early bedtime, however tonight they just attributed it to her being ill. _I hate lying to my parents, but that lie worked out for the better,_ she thought as she trudged up the stairs to bed.


	9. Chapter 9

"Children!" Sikowitz boomed. "Who wants to take the stage in the last acting exercise?" However, he was only met with silence. Sikowitz glanced around the room, looking for students to participate when he settled on Tori.

"Tori! You, Jade and Cat come up to the stage!" Groaning, the three girls took the stage.

"Jade and Tori: you two will be playing a husband and wife, who cannot get enough of their sweet, innocent child," he directed.

_Oh my God. This can't be happening._

"And Cat! You will be playing the sweet, innocent baby. Here's your bonnet, and your pacifier."

_How embarrassing! Why do I have to play the baby?_

"How fitting," she heard someone whisper, earning a couple snickers from the students.

_Thanks a lot, Sikowitz._

"And, action!"

"Look at our beautiful, babbling baby!" Tori cooed, gesturing to Cat, to which she responded with a "Goo." A couple students snickered in the back of the class.

"Look, honey, she's got your hair," Tori commented, which earned a few giggles throughout the room; a small smile even formed on Jade's lips.

"I tell ya this, nothing on this planet warms my cockles more than looking at this magical pile of baby right there!" Jade bellowed in her man voice.

"Goo, goo," Cat babbled on. _This is ridiculous._ Just as Tori opened her mouth to speak once again, the bell rang.

_Thank God,_ Cat thought, relieved. She quickly ripped off the bonnet and pulled the pacifier from her mouth, throwing them both on the ground. As everyone filed out of the classroom, Jade turned to her, "Cat, I'm sorry. I know that must've been awful. You looked less than thrilled when Sikowitz announced that you'd be playing the baby."

"Ugh, you have _no_ idea," Cat answered, starting to walk out the door.

"You know, Cat," Robbie approached her, "I thought you made a cute baby," he said, looking at the ground. Cat's heart faltered in her chest. _Robbie just complimented me,_ she thought with a smile.

"Um, thanks Robbie," she muttered, her cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink.

"See, Cat?" Jade turned to her, "Robbie thinks it was cute; couldn't have been _that_ bad."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I still hated it," she replied as they walked out the door.

**~Fix You~**

The rest of the morning seemed to drag on; it was completely uneventful. There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief when the lunch bell rang, putting the students out of their misery. One by one the gang approached their table, claiming their usual spots. Sitting down next to Cat, Tori asked, "So, what happened to you yesterday? I mean, you left before me from first period but when I got to math, you were gone. Are you okay?"

Beck and Jade glanced nervously at each other, not sure of how Cat would play this off.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just wasn't feeling well yesterday, so Beck offered to take me home," she explained.

Tori, thankfully, seemed to buy Cat's story. _I just lied to Tori. One of the sweetest people ever, and I just lied to her, _Cat chided herself.

"So, Cat," Beck began, "were you okay once you got home? I mean you didn't get sick or anything did you?" Both Cat and Jade knew that this wasn't really what Beck was asking, and Jade eagerly awaited Cat's response.

"Yeah, I was fine. I just did some homework, took a nap, and then we had a pizza and movie night. It was nice," Cat smiled, remembering the first functional night that her family had had in months. Beck and Jade both smiled, satisfied with Cat's answer.

"So, uh what movie did you watch, Kitty Cat?" Robbie spoke up.

"Well, it was my turn to choose," everyone was expecting Cat to say that she chose some Disney movie or chick flick, and were baffled when they heard Cat finish with "so I chose 'Django.'" Surprised, Jade sprayed her water all over the table. "'Django?!'" she asked incredulously.

Cat shot her a glare. _Does she not remember the conversation we had yesterday?_ "Well, yeah." She stated as if it was the most obvious answer. "I'm too old to be watching Disney movies, and besides, it wasn't bad," she finished. The whole table was silent. Tori dropped her fork, placing her palm against Cat's forehead. "Are you sure you're okay, Cat?" she asked. _God, you have no idea._

"I'm fine!" Cat's voiced rose with irritation. "What's wrong with me watching something other than Disney?"

"Here come the mood swings," Rex taunted.

"REX!" Robbie scolded. Cat fell silent and looked down at her plate, pushing around the leftover food.

_Way to go, Cat. Very mature._

Cat remained completely silent for the rest of lunch. She was too busy replaying the events from the past few days in her head. She hadn't intended on shutting everyone out, it just sort of happened. Jade, figuring something was wrong, gently began rubbing circles on her friend's back. Cat hadn't even noticed what Jade was doing; she remained completely still. Just as Jade was about to open her mouth to speak the bell rang. Tori, Robbie, and Andre said their goodbyes and made their way to class, leaving Cat alone with Beck and Jade. Jade turned to look at Beck, silently telling him to leave her alone with Cat for a moment. He reluctantly agreed and kissed Jade goodbye before rubbing Cat's arm. "See you two in sixth period?" he questioned, and was met with a quick nod from both girls.

"So, Cat. You wanna tell me what that was about?" Jade asked. However, instead of Cat's reply, Jade was met with the sound of Cat's ringtone.

"Sorry, it's my mom," she said as she answered her phone. Cat's face instantly contorted with worry.

"Mom? Mom! What's wrong, what's going on?" Cat asked frantically. She could barely make out the words through her mother's sobs.

"Mom?" Cat asked in a small voice, scared for whatever was going on. Jade sat completely still, not knowing what to do. She figured it was bad, but she had no idea. All of a sudden, Cat's body froze; the color draining from her face.

"Cat? Cat, what's going on?" Jade asked, as she, too, began to panic.

Cat tried desperately to make out a coherent sentence from her mother's words. _Frankie? Again? Hospital?_ She pondered.

"Oh my God," Cat exclaimed. "Mom, where are you? Are you there now?" Cat's voice was so small, and it was beginning to crack. Upon hearing her mother's almost incoherent reply, Cat quickly disconnected the call, still in complete shock about what she had just heard. A thousand emotions flitted across Cat's face, startling Jade.

"Are you alright, what happened?" she asked quietly, stroking her friend's hair.

"It's…it's…Frankie," Cat choked out. Jade's heart shattered.

"Oh my God, Cat. What happened?" she urged.

"He…he had another episode…he's in the hospital again," Cat sobbed.

"Baby girl," Jade soothed, trying her hardest to maintain her own composure.

"Just when I thought my life was getting better, it all comes crashing down again," Cat cried. The two friends remained at the table and continued to hold each other tight, trying to reassure themselves that it would all eventually be okay.

**So...I lied. I might do another update today :) I don't want to leave you guys at this. **

**To Mara: Cat CAT is coming back soon :) And I hope this chapter, and the next couple, answer your question ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's chapter ten! :)**

**Disclaimer #1: I don't own Victorious**

**Disclaimer #2: I don't own the song Never Alone, Jesse Bonanno does.**

"Cat, you've barely said a word since we left school. Do you want to talk about it?" Jade asked, concerned. However, she was only met with more silence. She glanced over at Cat, who was staring blankly out her window.

"Cat?" Jade tried again, placing a gentle hand on Cat's knee; she didn't even flinch. Sighing in frustration, Jade turned her attention back to the road. The rest of the way to the hospital Cat remained completely silent. If Jade hadn't kept stealing glances at her, she would've thought Cat to be asleep.

As Jade finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, she shut the car off and turned to Cat.

"Cat, I know you're hurting. But going mute isn't gonna help anyone," she griped.

Cat said nothing, but met Jade's eyes in response. _She's right. But I'm afraid that once I open my mouth, the tears won't stop falling._

Getting out of the car, Cat ran through the doors to the main entrance, not even checking to make sure that Jade was close behind. She continued running down the endless and all-to-familiar hallways, until she reached her destination. Cat walked up to the receptionist, completely out of breath.

"I'm here for… Frankie," she bit out, exhausted. She bent down, trying her best to catch her breath. The overpowering scent of bleach filled Cat's nose, causing her to feel a little lightheaded. Staggering backwards, she went to the designated waiting area. _Where the hell is everyone?_

After a few more minutes of waiting, the receptionist received a phone call and waved Cat back over to the desk.

"A nurse will be out in a moment to take you back to your brother. I should warn you though, sweetie. He's in a quite unstable condition right now."

Just as Cat was about to respond, a familiar voice was heard coming down the hallway. "Cat? Cat!" Mrs. Valentine called out for her daughter. Walking out to the waiting area, she noticed her daughter and ran up to embrace her.

"Mom, what's going on? What happened?" Cat asked, worried.

"Frankie: he had another episode this morning after you left for school," her mother cried.

Cat's heart dropped; her stomach in knots. _This cannot be happening again._

Mrs. Valentine took her daughter by the hand and led her back to Frankie's room. Cat figured that what she was about to walk into would be a horrible sight, but nothing had prepared her for what she was about to see. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she walked into Frankie's room. Cat slowly opened her eyes and inhaled sharply; she had never seen her brother look so helpless. Her brother lied in his bed before her, with his wrists and ankles strapped down to the bed.

"Oh my God," Cat cried out, causing Frankie to glance over.

"Kitty Cat, I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I tried to stop it, but the voices..." his voice faltered.

"How-they're back?" Cat asked, completely heartbroken. "Wha-what happened?"

"I was getting ready for work, and I heard someone tell me that they were watching me. I couldn't see them, but I heard them. I looked everywhere, Cat. I didn't want to get hurt! I tore apart the house, searching everywhere. Someone whispered in my ear 'ready or not, here I come.' I saw their reflection in the window, but I couldn't see them in person! I tried getting rid of them; I smashed the window. They got scared, and then left."

As Frankie explained what he had witnessed earlier, Cat felt as if she was going to be sick. _They were _never_ this bad, _she thought.

"The neighbors called me at work," Mrs. Valentine began, her face buried in her palms. "Told me they heard screaming, and then a smashing sound. They thought that someone had broken into our house. I came straight home. But when I walked in the door, I saw Frankie hiding under the table. He was rocking back and forth, his arms wrapped around his knees, telling someone to leave him alone; that he wasn't going to," Mrs. Valentine finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Wasn't going to what, Mom?" Cat urged, her voice thick.

Mrs. Valentine sighed. "I don't know, baby. He wouldn't say. He just kept repeating 'I'm not going to, I won't' over and over."

Cat stood in silence, trying to process everything that she had just heard. _He was doing so well, what happened?_

Coming back to her harsh reality, she realized that her father wasn't in the room.

"Mom, where's daddy?" Cat asked, her voice small.

"Last I heard from him, he was on his way over here from work. But…" she paused as she looked down at her watch, "that was over an hour ago. I don't know where he is," she sighed.

"What, Dad's that upset with Frankie? It's not like it's his fault! Do you think he _chose_ to be like this?! Hell no!" Cat yelled, clearly upset with her father.

"Cat, sweetie, calm down. He'll be here, I promise you. I promise you both," Mrs. Valentine reassured her emotional daughter.

Ignoring her mother, Cat walked over to her brother's bedside. She placed his hand in hers and began talking to him.

"Frankie, I love you. You're going to get through this, okay? After this, you won't have another episode; I won't let it happen," she assured him. "Remember: I'm always here for you." Frankie smiled weakly at his sister, recognizing the quote from the note that he had left her.

A calming silence fell over the room as Cat continued to hold her brother's hand. All of a sudden, the silence was broken when Cat heard her brother mumbling incoherently. Cat leaned in, listening intently to what he was saying. Seconds later, Cat was startled by Frankie's yell.

"NO!"

Everyone in the room jumped to their feet out of shock.

"Frankie?" Cat asked skeptically, dropping his hand. Looking at her brother, Cat realized that his eyes had glossed over completely and that his face had become blank. Cat knew what was happening, however she was too afraid to acknowledge it; she felt that if she didn't acknowledge what was happening, she could prevent the new episode.

"NO!" Frankie repeated, more forcefully this time. "NO! STOP! GO AWAY!" Panicked by the attack, Frankie began thrashing in his bed. "DAMMIT, GO AWAY!" He screamed.

_I'm under my bed, I'm under my bed,_ Cat tried calming herself. But the damage was done; what had been seen could not be unseen. She stepped closer to Frankie again, grabbing his hand.

"Frankie, Frankie! Calm down, you're okay. No one's here!" However he continued thrashing, trying to break free of his restraints.

"Get the fuck away from me!" He screamed at Cat. "I told you to leave! I'm not going to do that!"

The nurse picked up the phone in the room, calling in the psychiatric doctors. "We've got a code red in room 143. Code red in 143!"

Almost immediately, doctors began piling into the room. Even more startled by the sight of doctors surrounding his bed, Frankie continued to thrash and scream. Cat continued holding onto her brother's hand in a desperate attempt to bring him out of his episode. However, she was pulled away by a nurse.

"Sweetie, you have to let go. He's not safe," the nurse explained as she pulled Cat away from her brother. _Not safe?!_ _He's not a monster!_ Cat was seeing red.

"My brother would never hurt me!" she yelled back, tears in her eyes. She tried to gain sight of Frankie, however the doctors that encircled his bed blocked her view. Trying desperately to get to him, Cat ran around to the other side of his bed.

"CAT! You can't be here!" The nurse reprimanded. Knowing what was about to happen, a doctor grabbed Cat away from the bed, trying to turn her gaze for fear that she might see what was going on. However, Cat was stubborn. Right as the doctor turned her away she spun around to take one last look at her brother. What she saw was truly heart wrenching: Frankie hadn't stopped thrashing about in his bed, and a team of doctors were working to push his head back down on his bed, tying it down with a restraint. Snapping the restraint shut, the bed began to tremble as Frankie tried to break out of his ties. In a desperate attempt to calm the boy down, a doctor injected him with a sedative. This only caused Frankie continued to scream even louder, angered and confused by the injection.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! They won't leave me alone!"

"Come on, Cat. Let's get you out of here, alright sweetie?" A nurse said as she picked up Cat, trying to drag her out of the room. Cat, outraged at the fact that she was being forced to leave her brother, began screaming and flailing in the nurse's hold.

"Put me down! Stop! He needs me!"

The nurse successfully removed Cat from Frankie's room, where she set her down outside in the hallway. Cat continued screaming for her brother, trying to run back into his room. The nurse stayed with her, holding her, trying to soothe her. However it was no use.

"Cat!" a voice was heard from down the hallway. Upon hearing the voice the nurse tried to calm the girl down, as to not startle her friend.

"FRANKIE!" Cat screamed in anguish. "LET ME BACK IN!" She began pounding on the walls.

As the voice came into view, they stopped dead in their tracks. They remained completely still and watched Cat with wide eyes.

"Please, let me see him!" Cat begged, her voice hoarse from the yelling.

"Cat? Cat! Hey!" Jade ran over to where the nurse was holding Cat and tried to snap her out of her trance. Frightened by the state of her best friend, Jade tried desperately to calm Cat down.

"I got her, hand her to me," she turned to the nurse. The nurse reluctantly passed the girl off to Jade and returned to Frankie's room.

"Don't leave me out here!" Cat yelled after the nurse as she continued flailing in Jade's arms, trying to escape.

"Cat! CAT! Calm down, baby girl. It's me: It's Jadey. Please, please snap out of this. Frankie's going to be okay, Cat. He's going to be okay." By the end of her sentence, Jade's eyes were rimmed red with tears as she tried to console her best friend.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?! No one knows! You don't know! I don't know!" Cat yelled angrily, her voice completely shot. "Who the hell are you? Who are you to tell me that he's okay? You don't look like a damn nurse!" Cat continued.

_She doesn't recognize me,_ Jade thought, heartbroken.

"Cat,shhh. Settle down. It's just me, it's just Jade. Please snap out of this, Cat. Please," Jade cried, rubbing Cat's back.

In response, Cat's head snapped up. "Thank God, Cat. Are you okay, now?" Jade questioned.

However instead of the hopeful response that Jade was waiting for, Cat somehow had freed herself from Jade's grip and backed into the corner of the hallway.

"Please, please leave me alone!" Cat cried out in agony.

Jade took a small step closer, bending down to eye level. This startled Cat even more.

"Don't hurt me!" she cried, pushing herself farther into the corner.

Jade let out a loud sob, as she stood up. "Cat, I would _never_ hurt you. I'm only trying to help." Feeling helpless, she took one long look at Cat and started down the hallway.

Cat's heart sank as she realized what had just happened. _That was Jade. Jade tried to help me, but I hurt her. What the hell have I done?_

Cat tried to stand up from where she was seated, however due to her episode it took most of her energy to do so. Cat could see Jade getting farther and farther away and she started walking after her.

"Jade!" she called out, however to no avail; her voice was completely gone. _Well, this is going well._

Realizing that Jade wouldn't be able to hear her, Cat started running after her. It wasn't that far away but as Cat began running every ounce of energy she had in her body withered up. She continued running towards her friend, feeling dead on her feet. Right as Cat thought she was about to collapse, Jade turned around to take one last look at her friend.

"Jade!" Cat tried calling once again to let her know that she did indeed recognize her friend. Even though no voice was heard Jade knew that Cat had finally recognized her. Taking note of her friend's demeanor, Jade quickly closed the gap in between them and swept Cat off of her feet.

"Jadey, I'm so sorry!" Cat rasped out, holding back tears.

"It's okay, Cat. It's okay," she reassured her petite friend, trying to comfort her.

"Frankie…" Cat sobbed as she clung to Jade.

"I know, baby, I know," she soothed, her voice thick. _Do not let her see you cry, Jade._

Cat continued sobbing as Jade tried her best to calm her down. By the sounds of Cat's cries, you would've thought someone died. It was the worst thing that Jade had ever heard; it was almost sickening.

Thinking back to the incident in the recording studio, Jade instantly opened her mouth to sing to Cat in hopes of getting her to quiet down.

_I'll do anything that I can do,_

_To show you my love and comfort you._

_When you can't seem to find your way home_

_And when life gets too hard to face on your own_

_I will stand as a light through your darkest unknown_

_I will walk with you, so you're never alone._

Cat's cries died down almost instantly, dissolving into occasional whimpers. Realizing that her efforts had been working, Jade continued through the song and by the end, Cat slowly began to doze off. Exhausted herself, Jade carried Cat to the couches in the waiting room and gently laid her down. Cat instantly opened her eyes, trying to stay awake.

"Cat, it's okay. Go back to sleep, you're okay," Jade soothed.

"I can't! What if I miss something?" she replied, barely above a whisper.

"Trust me Cat You and I both know that you're exhausted. You need the sleep, baby girl."

Realizing that Jade was right, Cat sighed and let her eyelids flutter closed once again.

**~Fix You~**

Despite being completely exhausted, Jade couldn't sleep. She was too afraid that Cat would have another nightmare or episode. So for the hour that Cat was asleep, Jade continued humming quietly in hopes of Cat getting decent rest. The humming eventually comforted Jade as well, and as she was finally starting to doze off Mrs. Valentine came walking out to the waiting room. Seeing that Jade had calmed her daughter down, Mrs. Valentine flashed Jade a warm smile, before sitting down next to her.

"Thank you, Jade, so much. I don't think I could ever thank you enough for helping Cat today. That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to witness: seeing both of my babies in such distress," she choked out. Jade reached over and gave Mrs. Valentine a hug.

"You're welcome, Mrs. Valentine, but you don't need to thank me. Cat's like my sister, and when she's hurt, I'm hurt. I felt broken when I saw her outside of Frankie's room; she scared the crap out of me- didn't even recognize me," she started, fighting back the tears as she remembered what had happened.

"Oh, honey," Mrs. Valentine gently rubbed Jade's back.

The two sat in silence, for fear that they might wake Cat. However, what they didn't notice was that Cat was slowly starting to open her eyes. In fact, she had heard most of their conversation earlier as well.

"How was he, when you left?" Jade asked, her voice broken.

Mrs. Valentine looked up at Jade, tears filling her eyes.

"He didn't-"

"No," Mrs. Valentine interrupted. However she continued tearing up.

After earning a very quizzical look from Jade, Mrs. Valentine opened her mouth to explain again. "They said that there's nothing else that we can do; they're going to send him to a different facility in Florida. But if that doesn't work, he's going to have to take permanent residence in a psych ward," she finished, her voice low.

"WHAT?!" Cat flew off of the couch where she was laying, tears springing to her eyes.

"Cat? How much of that did you hear, sweetie?" Mrs. Valentine's heart broke at her daughter's reaction.

"Enough," she replied as she collapsed to the floor. "Don't let them take him away! It's not his fault; he can't help it!" She replied angrily.

"Mrs. Valentine, you're needed back in the room; they're finalizing everything" a nurse approached her.

Mrs. Valentine leaned down and hugged her daughter before making her way back to Frankie's room. Jade brought Cat back up on the couch with her and tried soothing her, pulling Cat up onto her lap as she began to rock her gently.

"I'm here, Cat. You're safe, you're okay," she soothed.

And for once Jade didn't say that everything was going to be alright; for the first time, she knew that it wasn't going to be.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! :) Here's chapter 11!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Victorious. **

"Cat, please. Can you talk to me baby girl?" Cat could hear Jade's voice calling to her, but couldn't find her voice to reply. It had been exactly a week since Frankie was admitted to the hospital and ever since then Cat had completely shut everyone out. She tried to convince herself that it was because she didn't have the energy, but in reality she was afraid that once she opened her mouth to talk she wouldn't be able to keep the tears at bay. Cat's current state terrified Jade: it hurt for her to see Cat so…detached. There were days when Cat would sit and stare out the window for hours on end, in complete silence. Cat's appetite was also deteriorating and often she had to be force-fed just to be sure that she had some substance. Jade felt helpless and didn't know what else she could do to help her best friend.

This particular day had been no exception; it was worse. Cat sat curled up in a ball staring out her bedroom window, her face completely expressionless. Jade would try talking to Cat to bring her out of her trance, but she knew that it was hopeless: Cat wouldn't even make the slightest movement at the sound of her friend's voice.

"Cat," Jade's voice broke. "I know you don't want to talk, but can you at least make some sort of gesture so I know that you can hear me?" Jade wasn't expecting any response from Cat and was elated she attempted a weak nod.

"You don't have to talk right now, but do you plan on it anytime soon?" she tried again.

This time Cat even turned her head to face Jade, but she slowly shook her head.

"Oh, Cat," Jade sighed as she wrapped her arms around Cat's frame. "I know you're hurting, but you'll only keep hurting until you talk about it. I don't want to lose you, Cat. I don't want you to feel like no one's here for you, because we are- everyone is. But we can't help you until you let us in."

Cat just nodded her head in response.

_I can't stand to see Jade this way. I feel like such a crap friend. She's trying to help me, but I won't let her in._

"Why won't you talk to me? Are you too tired, baby girl? I know you haven't been getting any sleep. Is that why you won't talk?"

_I can't talk. As soon as I open my mouth, I'll start crying. I wouldn't be able to stop it, so why even chance it?_

Cat shrugged.

"Are you afraid to talk, Cat?" The girl in question weakly nodded in response.

"But why? There's nothing to be afraid of, I'm here for you."

Instead of answering, Cat rolled over on her side, pulling the blankets over her face. Jade sighed in defeat and began playing with her friend's hair.

"You better be going to sleep, or else this conversation isn't over," Jade scolded.

_Not much of a conversation._

Feeling exhausted, Cat shut her eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.

**~Fix You~**

Over the next several hours Cat continued to slip in and out of sleep. She would sleep in spurts of a half hour as each time her eyes were closed, the image of Frankie thrashing in his hospital bed would play behind her eyes. A couple hours after she had first fallen asleep, she was awoken by the sound of voices.

"I'm trying so hard, Beck. So, so hard. But I'm starting to lose hope. I don't know what else I can do to help her," Jade spoke.

"I know you are, baby. She'll come around when she's ready; she has to eventually. And when that time comes, you need to be there for her," Beck assured his girlfriend.

_Beck's here now?_ Cat wondered. However after taking a quick glance around her room, Cat realized that Jade and Beck had only been Skyping.

"It's so hard to see her like this. She won't eat, won't talk. She wouldn't even acknowledge the fact that I was speaking to her until today: she's been nodding and shaking her head when I ask her a question, so I guess that's progress," Jade informed Beck.

"See? She'll come around soon, Jade. I promise you. And until then, I'll be here for you both.

"I hope you're right, Beck. I don't know how much longer I can continue to see her like this," Jade's voice broke.

_I can't stand hurting Jade anymore. But I know that if I talk to her like she wants, I'll only hurt her even more. _

"Has she been sleeping at all?" Beck questioned, curious.

"Actually, she's been asleep for a couple hours now. I'm so glad too, Beck. She hasn't slept at all in the past week, and I can tell that it's starting to bite her in the ass."

_You think I'm asleep,_ Cat thought to herself. However after a few more minutes, she had fallen asleep once again.

Unlike the other times, Cat remained asleep for several hours. It was beginning to frighten Jade, too, as she was completely still; the rise and fall of her chest was almost completely indistinguishable. Although seemingly calm on the outside, Cat was a mess on the inside. The scene at the hospital continued to run through her mind as if on loop but no matter how hard she tried to wake up, she couldn't. To Jade, Cat seemed at peace. To Cat, well, she was going through hell all over again.

**~Fix You~**

"Cat! Come back! Don't let them take me away!" Frankie screamed in agony, clawing at the air.

Cat tried to answer her brother, however her voice couldn't be found. _Open your mouth! Help him!_

A team of doctors were dragging Frankie down a deserted hallway in the hospital, and the further away he was taken the longer the hallway became. Cat desperately tried chasing after her brother-tried stopping the doctors. However her efforts were hopeless.

_Come back! You can't take him away from me!_ She fumed.

Frankie's screams continued to fill the hall as he was dragged further and further away. Cat tried running after him, her body numb

_Push through it, Cat. Don't give up!_

Cat willed herself to continue running- to give one last ounce of a fight for her brother. Adrenaline began coursing through her veins and she took off full sprint down the hallway. As she reached the end she noticed that the doctors had all disappeared. _How weird,_ she thought. However as she turned around, she noticed a stray gurney that stood in front of her. Cat tried to see who it was but the body was covered. _Didn't the doctors take Frankie away?_ A wave of realization washed over Cat and her stomach dropped to her feet.

_No. NO._ _It's not him; it's not Frankie! _

Numb, Cat reached over to pull back the sheet and was shocked by the appearance of the person lying in front of her. Her brother's eyes were sunken into his ghostly complexion, while his lips were tinted a dark blue.

Finally finding her voice, Cat began to scream, desperate to bring her brother back.

"Frankie! FRANKIE! STOP THIS! YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" However her brother remained motionless. Tears started to pool in Cat's eyes as she continued screaming for her brother, her voice becoming strained.

_Wake up, Cat! Snap out of it! _

But it was no use. She couldn't seem to escape the nightmare and the image of her brother's corpse was etched into her mind.

"Cat!" She heard some calling for her. _The hospital's empty, who the hell is it?_

"Cat!" The person tried again. Frightened, Cat began screaming back.

"No, no! Stay away from me! You already took my brother from me, what else do you want?!"

As Cat continued screaming, the voice faded out of her dream and she could make out the sound of someone's yells coming from the spot next to her.

"Cat! Wake up, please! You're scaring me!" Jade urged her best friend, desperate to snap her out of her nightmare. Much to Jade's dismay, Cat didn't wake up. She continued tossing and turning in her bed, screaming, with tears rolling down her face. No matter what Jade would do, nothing could wake Cat up.

_I don't know what to do! If I touch her, it might freak her out even more. But I can't just sit here and watch her go through this!_ Jade contemplated with herself.

"CAT!" Jade tried again. Her scream seemed to startle Cat and after a few seconds, Cat shot up in her bed.

"He's gone! He's gone, and it's my fault! I couldn't save him in time," she continued rambling on and on until Jade finally wrapped her arms around her petite frame, desperate to calm her down.

"Cat, stop it! Everything's okay," she soothed as Cat clung onto her.

"He's gone, Jadey! He's gone," Cat sobbed. Jade's heart fluttered as Cat called out her name. It was the first time in a week that Cat had not only spoken, but said her friend's name. She missed it. A lot.

"Cat, calm down, baby. It's okay. He's not gone. He's still at the hospital. He's safe, you're safe. Just please, calm down," Jade soothed as she pulled Cat into her lap.

Cat, taking in Jade's words, finally started to calm down and her loud, painful cries died down into soft sobs.

"Shhh, Cat. It was just a bad dream. Nothing happened. Frankie's still alive," Jade assured her friend.

"I'm s-sorry, Jade," Cat tried to apologize.

"For what? It's not like you chose to have a nightmare. I'm not mad, Cat. Just scared as hell," she reassured the fragile girl.

"That's why I'm sorry," Cat mumbled. "I keep hurting you," she whispered, blinking back tears.

"Cat," Jade's voice broke as she gripped her friend even tighter. "You're not hurting me, so don't you dare say that. I'm here for you, I always will be."

"Thanks, Jadey," Cat rasped out.

A small smile graced Jade's lips at Cat's response. "You're talking, baby girl," she sniffled. "And you called me Jadey. I miss you, Cat. So much," Jade bit back tears as she hugged her friend even tighter.

"I miss me too, Jade. I hate being like this, feeling so…helpless," Cat's words lingered in the darkness of the room.

"I know you do," Jade answered, wiping tears from Cat's face. "I'm going to help you get back to the old Cat. Do you want to talk about it now?" she urged her friend.

"Honestly, there's nothing to talk about," Cat answered timidly.

"Cat, we've been through this. Look what bottling things up got you," Jade scolded.

"No. That's what was bothering me. You just saw it- experienced it firsthand."

"Is there anything else that you want to talk about?" she asked.

The room fell silent once again, as Cat contemplated opening the flood gates.

"Cat, please. Don't do this again," Jade swallowed thickly. Cat sighed and started to speak.

"I'm afraid, Jadey. I'm afraid that once he leaves, he won't get better and won't come back. It'll be like he died," she explained, biting back the sobs.

"You know that he'll get better, Cat. He always does-"

"Yeah. He always gets better, so they send him home. Couple months later, it starts all over again. I just- I don't know how much more I can take before I go crazy myself," Cat interrupted.

"Oh, Cat. I'm so sorry," Jade soothed. "I know that this must be really hard on you. You and Frankie have always been super close, so I can only imagine what you're going through. But you won't go crazy. I won't let you."

"Friends and family can only do so much, Jade. I told Frankie the same thing after his last episode and look where it got him. You can't stop me from going crazy, it's already happening. And if things keep going the way that they're going, I'll gladly take it. Take it and be grateful. Maybe being locked up in that facility in New Jersey is the solace that I've needed my whole life."

Jade's heart broke upon hearing Cat's confession. "You don't mean that, Cat."

"Why wouldn't I? It has to be a hell of a lot better than what I'm going through here. My father was right: I am sick. I am mentally unstable. It was only a matter of time before something came along that would tear me apart. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be gone before the end of the year. When Frankie leaves I won't be able to live, Jadey. It'll be too hard."

Jade leapt up out of Cat's bed and tried to focus her gaze on her friend.

"No! Cat, don't act like this! Don't give up! This is exactly what happened the last time Frankie left. I know where this is going, and this time I'm smart enough to recognize the signs," Jade cried.

"What's the point!" Cat yelled back. "Frankie is the only one that understands what I'm going through! When he's gone, I won't have anyone to fall back on. Sure you guys say that you understand, but you really don't. How could you? You don't have to deal with what we do!"

"Cat, please," Jade bit out between sobs. "I'm trying my best to help you, I just- you're right. I don't know how you feel. I don't have to go through it, but I'm trying to be here for you as much as I can, so that you won't do what you did three years ago!"

"Why does everyone keep talking about that?! That was _three _years ago, Jade! Oh my God! It's not like I feel that way now!"

"Are you kidding me?! Do you not remember what you _just_ told me?! Don't tell me that that doesn't remind you of the last time, Cat. Because if you did, you'd be lying. Straight to my face." Jade retorted, venom dripping from her voice.

_She's right. Oh my God, she's right._

"Jadey," Cat called out to her friend, but was only greeted by silence.

"Jade?" she tried again. This time, however, she was met by the sound of Jade crying.

"Jadey!" Cat was startled at her friend's reaction. "You're right, I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry for hurting you like that."

"I…I… I don't want to lose you, Cat. I don't want to…risk that happening again," Jade sobbed.

Cat's heart broke at the anguish in Jade's voice.

"I would never do that to myself, Jade. I promise. I wouldn't do it to you, either. But God, I'm just so damn tired of all of this. It's getting too hard. I hate feeling this…this…broken," Cat explained, as her eyes welled with tears.

"Please promise me that you'll talk to me if you _ever_ feel that way again, okay? I can't lose you, Cat. You're my best friend; I love you, baby girl. And I don't think that I'd be able to continue on with my life knowing that you were gone. I'd feel too guilty, knowing that I could've tried to stop you."

Jade's pained words lingered in the dark room as both girls continued to cry, holding each other close.

"I hate seeing you broken, Cat; I will try to fix you," Jade promised her best friend.

_~And I will try, to fix you~_


	12. Chapter 12

**So apparently High School Musical = Pitch Perfect, according to my Pandora. But anyways Gotta Go My Own Way came on, and for some reason I thought of Beck&Jade. I don't even know. It's late. **

**Thanks CadeFrindship4vr, Mara and Where Butterflys Never Die for the reviews! And to Mara: Thanks :) I reallllly wanted to get out the last couple chapters, so I figured why not? :) **

** Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

After Cat's breakdown, Jade was reluctant to let her out of sight. However she had to leave the following day. She knew that Cat meant it when she said that she wouldn't leave her, but things could change. To make things worse, Mr. Valentine had grown tired of his daughter sulking around the house and demanded that she return to school the following Monday, much to Cat's dismay. So here Cat was, hand on the door, waiting to enter Hollywood Arts. She hadn't been at school for over a week, and she was afraid of how her friends were going to react. Cat knew as soon as she stepped through those doors, her friends would all rush up to her, smothering her, asking about Frankie. Normally Cat would like visiting with her friends before classes, but today was different; there was nothing normal about today. It had been over a week since Frankie was admitted to the hospital and it was only a matter of time before he was relocated to Florida. What's worse, Cat had no idea when it would happen; no one did. At any minute the remnants of Cat Valentine's world would crumble, and she would crumble with it.

_It's now or never, Cat._

Taking a deep breath, Cat walked through the doors of her school. She kept her head down in an effort to avoid making eye contact with anyone, and headed to her locker. There were only a few students scattered throughout the hallways as there was still about twenty minutes before the beginning of class. However rather than risking being found by her friends in the hall, Cat headed to the black box, where Sikowitz was holding class for the day. Cat carefully entered through the stage doors in case other students were already seated and was relieved when she found it empty.

_Thank God no one's here. I can't do this right now. _

Unfortunately for Cat, the black box doors swung open only seconds later. The slam of the door startled Cat and without any hesitation she positioned herself behind the stage curtains.

_Shit. This can't be good._

"Come on, Cat. Answer your damn phone!" Jade fumed as she redialed Cat's number.

Almost instantly, Cat's phone began buzzing in her pocket. _Oh, God. Not again._

The loud buzzing sound tainted the quiet air, while Cat held her breath in anticipation. Fortunately, Jade was too irate to notice.

"Ugh, pick _up_!"

No answer.

From behind the curtain Jade's long string of profanities could be heard, followed by a clatter. Cat peered around the curtain in an effort to get a better look at Jade, when the doors flew up once again.

"There you are," Beck sighed in relief. And then approaching Jade, added "You're a fast one, you know that?"

Jade was completely oblivious to Beck's attempt to lighten her mood, and continued cursing under her breath; it was almost as if she hadn't even notice that he entered the room. Jade seemed frantic now as she began pacing back and forth, mumbling insensibly to herself.

"Babe?" Beck asked cautiously, trying to get her attention. Jade didn't even glance towards him as she continued pacing; he tried again.

"Jade!"

"WHAT!" her voice was filled with panic, and she shook her head as if to clear her previous thoughts.

"Are you alright? You're starting to scare me, Jade," Beck explained, his voice also filled with worry.

_What's happening?_ Cat wondered from behind the curtain.

Jade closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. Beck watched on with caution, afraid to approach his girlfriend. After what seemed like an endless silence, Jade opened her eyes and stared straight at the ground, careful to avoid Beck's gaze.

"It's Cat," she whispered. "She hasn't been returning my calls, and I'm starting to worry." Jade remained motionless, her voice almost inaudible. Beck wasn't sure what to say, and Jade's voice filled the silence.

"I left her house last Thursday. Her parents told me that they were watching her, that she would be fine. I haven't heard from her since," Jade's voice began rising with worry as she spoke to Beck.

Realizing where Jade was going with this, Beck calmly tried reassuring her that nothing had happened to their petite friend. Although on the inside, Beck was a wreck.

"She's fine Jade, she's probably just running late. Besides, she promised that-"

"Yeah, _promised_. Past tense," Jade's voice cracked as she tried to control her emotions.

"What? What happened?" Beck was starting to lose his cool demeanor, which only led Jade to become even more upset.

"The other night. Right after we were done Skyping Cat had another nightmare," Jade started off, her voice low.

"She kept screaming 'Frankie!' and 'let him go!' She wouldn't stop, Beck. God, I tried so hard to get her to come back to me. She was screaming, bloody murder, and started tossing and turning like crazy. I couldn't get her to stop! It was…the worst thing I've ever seen, and I was there with her at the hospital. When I finally got her to snap out of it, she had a death grip on me and was bawling, saying 'he's gone, he's gone.'" The pain in Jade's voice was almost palpable as she relived the said event.

Beck was at a loss for words. He knew that Cat had been having nightmares, but not to this extent.

"Baby," his voice cracked.

"She told me that once Frankie's gone that she's going to go insane…literally. I told her that I wouldn't let that happen, that I'd be there for her. Then she got upset and said that friends and family could only do so much. She…she," Jade's voice began shaking as she lost control of her emotions.

"She said that I couldn't do anything- that it was already happening. She told me that she would be happy to be in New Jersey, and that maybe it's the solace that she needs right now. Am I not enough, Beck?" Jade asked, her bottom lip quivering. "This is _exactly_ what happened last time! I don't know what to do, Beck. What if I'm _not_ enough? She told me that when Frankie's gone that there'll be no point anymore; she won't be able to cope. I just… I don't know what to do!" By this point, both Beck and Jade's eyes were red-rimmed with tears.

_Every time, Cat. You hurt them. Every time. That was a few years ago and it's still hurting Jade, and now Beck. But why don't they believe me, when I said that I wouldn't leave them? _

"I need to talk to them," Cat muttered to herself. Just as she was about to come out from behind the curtain, the rest of the class came piling into the room. _Shit, now what?_

Beck and Jade took their seats while Beck wrapped a protective arm around his girlfriend's waist, pulling her close to his body.

"Please don't cry, babe. She's okay, I know she is," Beck tried reassuring Jade, and also himself.

Watching as her peers continued filling the auditorium, Cat walked back off of the stage and quietly exited the stage doors.

_Should I go in? I just wanna sit here, alone._

Sighing, Cat walked around the hall to walk through the front doors with the other students, hoping to be able to slip in the back. Cat held her breath as she quietly entered and claimed a seat in the back, closest to the door.

_The gang's all here,_ Cat thought to herself, relieved. Now she didn't have to face the chance of someone seeing her. She was pulled out of her thoughts by the overly enthusiastic entrance of Mr. Sikowitz and began paying attention to his rants. His eyes scanned the crowd of students, making sure that everyone was paying attention, when they landed on Cat. His eyes filled with remorse, as he was aware of the situation that Cat was in. He also noticed that Cat had yet to give up the darker clothing and makeup. Cat's eyes locked with those of her teacher and as Sikowitz was about to comment on Cat's reappearance, it was like he suddenly read Cat's desperate plea to keep quiet; it seemed as though he understood that she wanted to be left alone. With a gentle and almost unnoticeable nod of his head, Sikowitz continued on with his lesson, glancing over at Cat every once in a while.

At the end of the lesson the students weren't left with a single boisterous comment; it was obvious that they had noticed it, too.

"What's going on with Sikowitz? He was talking and all of a sudden he looked like he had seen a ghost," Beck commented.

Jade paled. "Beck, please. Not the right time," she stated as they walked out of the auditorium doors.

"Cat, can I see you for a second?" Sikowitz asked the redhead.

_Nobody saw me when they left. Thank God._

Cat nodded weakly and made her way up to the stage.

"How are you, Cat? I've noticed you're still 'experimenting' with your wardrobe," he added, trying to lighten the mood. However, Cat continued to stare at her teacher with a blank look.

"I'm so sorry about your brother, Cat. This must be hard on you," he continued.

_Why does everyone keep talking about him like he died? _Cat cringed at the thought.

"I'm sorry, Cat. I just meant that if you need someone to talk to you can always come to me," Sikowitz offered. Cat nodded her head in understanding and muttered a sincere "Thanks, Sikowitz," before the teacher pulled her in for a hug.

"So, why is it that you didn't want your friends to know that you're back?" he questioned, seeming slightly amused.

"I don't want to deal with this right now. I want my life to be back to normal, but of course that's never going to happen," she laughed dryly.

"And," she continued, her eyes filled with sadness, "I hurt Jade. Bad. I'm afraid to see her, Sikowitz."

"Well, kiddo, you might not want to turn around..."

Cat's body tensed as she awaited the end of his sentence, already knowing what he was about to say.

"She's standing in the doorway," he continued, carefully pointing towards Jade.

Cat slowly turned her attention towards the door and sure enough there stood Jade. A thousand emotions flitted across her face, but Cat could make out the hurt, worry, and relief etched into Jade's features.

"Jadey," Cat called out to her best friend.

"I'll leave you two alone," Sikowitz stated as he left the room.

"Jadey," she called out again, her voice filled with desperation. "Please answer me."

Jade simply closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"Please?" Cat begged.

Jade finally opened her eyes to take a good look at Cat and ran up to her friend, embracing her in a tight hug.

"You're okay," Jade cried with relief. "Nothing happened." To Cat, it seemed that Jade was trying to convince herself of the reality of the situation.

"I told you I wouldn't leave you," Cat whispered, stroking Jade's hair.

"Oh, Cat. Do you have any idea how worried I was?! Why didn't you answer your damn phone? You had me worried sick," Jade snapped.

Cat remained silent at first, but then answered sheepishly "I didn't want to talk about it. After you left I practically shut everyone out again. I wouldn't talk to anyone."

"Cat," Jade's voice broke, "you couldn't have at least shot me a text saying that you were okay?"

"You seem really upset, Jadey. I'm so sorry."

"I have every right to be! After what I witnessed last week, after what you told me that night about wanting to leave to New Jersey, about feeling that you didn't have any other ways out. Am I not enough for you, Cat? Is there nothing that I can do?" By this point, tears were rolling down Jade's cheeks.

"Jadey," Cat began, her voice small, "I want you to be enough. But until Frankie's back for good, I'm never going to be okay."

Jade's breath hitched in her throat as she processed what Cat had just told her. _I want you to be enough. I want you to be enough._

"You _want_ me to be enough, Cat? So I'm not doing you any good right now? Is that it?!" Jade's voice began rising in hysteria as she continued to cry.

"Jadey. That's not what I'm saying at all," Cat defended, tears flowing down her cheeks as well.

"That sounds about right to me, Cat."

"Why would you ever think that I could think that, Jadey? You're my best friend; you've done so much to try and help me. But, friends can't do everything. Neither can my family," Cat reasoned.

"NO!" Jade spoke up, startling Cat. "Dammit, Cat! Stop! You're not going to do this! You can't give up!"

"I just don't know where to turn to anymore," Cat confessed.

"You can turn to me! I've always been here for you! What changes that, now?"

"It's not enough," Cat muttered, her voice broken.

Cat's words verbally slapped Jade across the face, and the hurt was seen plain as day in Jade's crystal blue eyes.

"Well, then I'm sorry if I wasted your time. If I'm not enough now, I guess I won't ever be," Jade exclaimed as she began walking out the doors.

"Jadey, please!" Cat called out after her friend. "You know that's not what I meant!"

Jade continued walking down the hall, wiping frantically at the new fallen tears. She pulled out her pearphone in an attempt to get a hold of Beck. Thankfully, he picked up at the first ring.

"Babe? Are you alright, you've been gone for a while," he asked, concern filling his voice.

"Beck? Can you come get me?" Jade requested, her voice small.

"Of course, baby." A click was heard on the other end of the line.

Not even a few minutes later, a frantic Beck Oliver came running around the corner in search of his girlfriend.

"Jade?" He called out, but was met without a response.

He continued scanning the hall, when he noticed her curled up outside of the theater doors. Beck's heart broke as he took in her appearance, afraid of what might have happened.

"Jade? Wha-what happened? Is she…?" Beck was too shocked to even finish his train of thought.

"Beck," Jade sobbed, as Beck picked her up.

"Oh, no. Jade-"

"No," she interrupted, "She's here. She was in class today. I went back to grab my coffee and she was talking to Sikowitz. Then she apologized to me for not answering my calls, because she took the vow of silence over the weekend again…" Jade voice was trembling uncontrollably as she tried desperately to stem the flow of tears.

"And?" Beck gently urged, rubbing her back.

"And she said that she wouldn't be back to normal until Frankie comes back, for good. Beck, she's never gonna be the old Cat again! I asked if her I was enough- she's starting to scare me. She told me that friends and family could only do so much, and that she wishes that I could be enough, but I'm not. I told her not to give up, and she didn't deny that she was! She said she doesn't know where to turn to anymore! I…I…" Jade was sobbing uncontrollably by this point. "My nightmare's coming true: I'm not enough. It's eighth grade all over again."

"Baby," Beck's voice broke upon hearing how upset Jade sounded. "Cat's just going through a hard time. We both knew she was bound to snap at one point. I just didn't expect it to happen like this," he confessed, blinking back tears.

"What's going to happen when Frankie leaves for Florida? We think it's bad now," Jade wailed.

"I don't know, baby. But Cat's going to be okay. I'll make sure of it," Beck soothed his girlfriend as he reassuringly stroked her hair.

_Cat's going to be okay. I'll make sure of it_.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! :) Here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Is this really necessary by this point?**

Cat sped down the freeway as she furiously blinked back the tears.

_Why is Jade mad at me? She can't seriously think that she can fix me, alone. _

After the confrontation with Jade, Cat was inconsolable; she didn't know what to do. So, she decided to turn to the one person that was always there for her from day one: Frankie.

Cat finally pulled up to the hospital and walked through the all-too-familiar halls, reaching her destination: the psych ward.

"I'm here for Frankie Valentine," Cat informed the lady working the front desk.

The receptionist gave Cat a look of sympathy before taking her hand and leading her down the hall to Frankie's room.

"He's been expecting you," the receptionist gave Cat a warm smile, before heading back to her work station.

"Please be okay," Cat whispered as she walked through the door. As soon as she set foot into Frankie's room, a huge grin spread across her face as she took in the sight of her big brother.

"Frankie!" She exclaimed as ran up to give him a hug. "I've missed you!"

"Hi, Kitty Cat," he chuckled in response, returning the hug. "How's everything been since last time? Still not going to school?"

"Oh, it's going," she replied. "And, I went today. But I…sorta left early."

"What's wrong, sis? Do you want to talk about it?" He was becoming concerned.

Cat sheepishly nodded her head as she looked up at her brother.

"No one understands what we're going through," she muttered quietly. "It's been so hard without you, Frankie. Everyone says that they understand, and that they're trying to help, but they just don't get it."

"I do, Cat. I understand. Mainly because, well, I'm part of the problem," he joked, earning a small smile from Cat.

"Is that a smile I see?" Frankie feigned shock as he teased his sister.

"No," Cat lied as the smile spread across her face. However, the smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"You're not the problem, Frankie. Don't say that," Cat stated, her voice empty. "You can't control this. No one can."

"Thanks, sis. But that doesn't make this any easier," he sighed in response, placing a hand on her knee.

"So, you wanna tell me why you ditched school? And don't lie to me, Cat. I know you better than you think."

Cat sighed. "Where do you want me to start? It's a _long_ story."

"How about with the bad dream? Mom told me about it. She's so worried about you, Cat. And quite frankly, so am I," he admitted, concern filling his voice.

"Well, last week Jade was staying with us. I hadn't slept all week, I wouldn't talk, and I haven't been eating. Jade and I laid in my bed that night, and she kept trying to get me to talk. She sounded so hurt, Frankie. I hadn't said a word to her since you were admitted into the hospital," Cat started to explain, her voice breaking.

"Go on," Frankie pressed, gently.

"I was getting tired enough to be able to fall asleep, but I'd only sleep for a half hour at a time. The nightmares were so bad, Frankie. So bad. I was too afraid to close my eyes for even a second. I woke up from one of my catnaps, and heard Jade talking to Beck. She told him that she was really worried about me, that she didn't know what to do anymore.

"Then I ended up falling back asleep, but for I guess several hours. That's what Jade told me, at least. I had the scariest dream, Frankie. The doctors were wheeling you down the hall, and you were screaming my name; screaming for me to help you. I tried running after you, but it was no use; I was numb. Then, the doctors disappeared and I found a stray gurney at the end of the hall. The sheet was pulled up, so I went to pull it down to see who it was. And… it was you," Cat explained as the tears threatened to fall.

"Cat. Listen to me, that's _never_ going to happen, okay? I promise you. Don't worry about that," Frankie tried desperately to console his little sister.

Cat sniffed and continued on.

"Apparently I was screaming 'he's gone, he's gone!' and kept tossing and turning like crazy. Jade told me that she was calling my name for a solid five minutes, before I remember her screaming it, which woke me up. She told me that it was okay, that you were still alive. I was so scared, Frankie! It was so real! And what's worse, I couldn't wake up.

"I told her everything after that. How after you leave for Florida, it'll be like you died- I probably won't ever see you again. After you leave, Frankie, I won't know what to do anymore. She told me that she would be there for me, that she wouldn't let me fall. But I told her that family and friends can only do so much, and that by this point I'd be grateful to get put into that hospital in New Jersey."

"You don't mean that, Cat. Don't say that; it's a lot worse than you think," Frankie scolded his sister.

Cat laughed dryly in response. "You sound just like Jade; she practically told me the same exact thing."

"There's gotta be more to it than that, Cat. Please," Frankie begged, and Cat continued.

"I told her that I'll be happy when daddy sends me to New Jersey, that I'm already going crazy and there's nothing she can do to stop it. I told her that when you leave, I'm not going to be able to do this anymore-"

"NO!" Frankie yelled, interrupting Cat. "Come on, it won't be that bad!" He was becoming hysterical. "This won't be like last time, Cat. I won't let you get that close this time."

Cat shut her eyes, trying desperately to keep her emotions in check. "Jade said the same exact thing. I'm sorry Frankie, but it's going to be so hard to cope without you here."

"What did Jade say?" Frankie asked, his voice breaking.

"The same thing that you did, actually. But I didn't realize how scared she was when I said it. God, I was crazy. We ended up yelling over top of each other, and when it finally fell silent I looked up and Jade was crying. I made her cry, Frankie! God, I'm such a _bitch_! I told her that I wouldn't leave her, that I wouldn't do that. She seemed to believe me. That was a hard night, and she left the next morning.

"I didn't go back until today. I walked into class before anyone else, but then I heard Jade come in; I hid. She was cursing so much, upset that I wouldn't pick up my phone. She called me probably at least a hundred times after that night, making sure that I was still 'okay.' Beck came in after her, telling her that everything was going to be alright. They both thought that I was…gone. Class started and I sat in the back. Sikowitz saw me, but no one else did. He asked me to stay after class, once everyone was gone of course, and told me that if I needed someone to talk to, that he was there. I told him about Jade, and how I was afraid to see her after the dream incident and not answering her calls, and she was standing in the doorway. She was listening the whole time.

"Sikowitz left us alone, and she ran up to hug me. It took a little prodding, but she came up to me. She was crying, Frankie. God, I don't think I've ever seen Jade cry as much as I have in the past couple of weeks. And I'm the cause of it! I hate myself for doing this to her, Frankie. It hurts so bad to see her tough girl walls come crumbling down," Cat continued, her eyes red-rimmed with tears.

"Cat," Frankie breathed. "I…I don't know what to say. I had no idea that you felt this way. None whatsoever. I would react just like Jade, if not worse, if I would've heard you say that to me: that you were giving up. That's not the Cat that I know: the giggling, pink-loving, old Cat that I love."

"Yeah, well I'm not that Cat anymore, and I don't want to be. I drove dad crazy, and annoyed my friends. But now? I don't even know who I am anymore, Frankie," Cat cried.

"Oh, Cat. I'll help you get through this, we'll do it together. But, if I can't be there for you, I know that your friends will be. Especially Jade."

Cat choked back a sob in response to Frankie's statement. _Especially Jade._

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, earning a quizzical look from Frankie.

"She asked me if she was enough to snap me out of this- if she was enough to fill the void. I told her that I wanted her to be enough, but that the only person that could help me right now was you, Frankie. God, you should've seen the look on her face. It looked like she had just found out that someone died. It was the worst thing ever, and she started crying even harder. So much so, that I could barely understand her! I felt terrible! But she asked me, why would I lie and tell her that she's enough? Tell her that everything's going to be alright, like everyone does for me?

"She ran out after that saying something like 'I'm sorry for wasting your time, for not being enough.' I could hear her down the hall, Frankie. I…I…I don't know what to do!" Cat sobbed.

Frankie was completely shocked. He had no idea how Cat had been feeling, and he couldn't help but feel that he played some part in that. To be honest, he was terrified for his sister.

"Kitty Cat, you need to talk to Jade-"

"She won't listen to me! I don't know what to do, Frankie! I've hurt her so many times. I don't blame her if she doesn't want me around anymore. Who would?" Cat interrupted her brother.

"I do, Cat. So don't give up; talk to Jade. You guys are best friends! Hell, more like sisters. You can't live without her, and she can't live with you," Frankie flinched as the words left his lips, remembering what Cat had confessed.

"That's what she told me, too. She said that if I were gone, she wouldn't be able to live without me. I can't do that to her, or Beck. Hell, any of our friends. I just-I don't know what to do anymore, or where to turn. The one person that actually knows what I'm going through is about to move across the country," Cat choked out.

"See, Cat? She can't be without you. I know that she's hurting right now, but how do you think she's going to feel when she shows up to your next class and you're gone?" Frankie reasoned.

"I highly doubt she went to second period. There was no way she'd walk in like that," Cat commented, "and I don't blame her."

"Promise me something, Cat. Talk to Jade. You guys are both hurting; you both need each other whether you guys believe it or not. The longer you go without each other, the worse things will get," her brother explained.

"You're right, Frankie. I just-I feel so terrible. She's been trying to help me, and I told her that it wasn't enough. It was like a slap in the face," Cat cried, her voice hoarse.

"Shhh, Cat. It's okay. Don't be upset. Because if I know Jade, which I do, she'll want to move on from this. You guys can't go that much longer without being in each other's lives, Cat. You guys will miss each other too much, and from what I can tell, you already do," Frankie tried desperately to soothe his emotional sister.

Frankie wrapped his sister in his embrace, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. It had been an hour since Cat had arrived, and so they weren't surprised when a nurse came in to notify Cat that her visiting hours were over.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Cat leaned over and kissed Frankie's cheek.

"Thank you, Frankie. I needed that." As she walked out the door, she turned back to take one last look at her brother.

"I love you, Frankie."

**A little family fluff to (hopefully) even out some of the angst :) Let me know what you think! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for reading and the feedback! :) Here's the next chapter. I'm kind of nervous about this one, so let me know what you think.**

Cat walked up to the RV door and knocked furiously. She figured that Jade wouldn't have stayed at school after first period and she knew that she wouldn't have gone back home, either, which left only one other option. So here Cat was, standing outside of Beck's RV.

It didn't take long before the door swung open, allowing her to see a very distraught-looking Beck.

"Cat?" he asked, his voice tired.

"I need to talk to Jade. Please."

Beck quickly nodded and ushered Cat into his RV. He turned his gaze to a lump of pillows and blankets that littered his bed, and gestured her over to it. As Cat came closer, she could notice the familiar purple streaks peeking out from one of the blankets. She gave Beck a wary glance, nervous about disturbing her friend, and he nodded his head in encouragement.

"Jadey?" Cat called out as she began playing with one of the purple streaks.

The pile of linens began to move as Jade stirred awake.

"We have to talk, Jade."

Slowly, Jade sat up from the comfort of her blankets and took a long look at her friend.

"Cat?" She asked groggily.

"It's me, Jadey. Can we please talk about what happened earlier?"

"There's nothing to discuss," Jade snapped, retreating back under the covers.

"Jade," Beck warned, "She came here to talk to you, and I think you should listen."

Jade sighed in defeat as she pulled back the covers. Both girls turned their attention to Beck, silently asking him to leave.

"It's okay, I get it. I'll just be going now," he answered with a smile as he walked out of his RV.

Once Beck was outside, Cat turned to her friend. "Jadey, I know that you're upset with me but I wanna talk. I'm so sorry. I feel horrible for telling you that you weren't enough to help me. God, I felt terrible after saying that. You've done so much for me, and I hurt you like that. But you have to understand that when Frankie leaves it's going to be hard on me. How would you feel if your brother had to move across the country and you wouldn't know when you'd see him next? Sure, I could try to be there for you, tell you that everything would be okay, but it wouldn't be the same; your brother wouldn't be there and never would be."

Jade sat in silence as she processed what Cat was saying. Before Cat opened her mouth to speak again, she was interrupted by Jade.

"Do you know how awful I felt after that, Cat? It was exactly what you told me the last time Frankie left. I couldn't help but be brought back to that- couldn't help but think that you were going to leave me.

"I'm still not a hundred percent convinced that you won't try that stunt again, Cat. I mean you say that you won't now, but what's going to happen when Frankie does leave? You can't tell me now that that thought won't even cross your mind."

Cat didn't know what to say- she was completely taken aback. _Way to go, Cat. _

"Jadey, you have every right to be upset. I would be too if I were you. And, I don't really know what's going to happen when Frankie leaves. I really don't want to go down that road again- I don't want to feel that again. It was terrible."

"How do you think I felt, Cat? Hearing that my best friend had attempted suicide the night before," Jade snapped, blinking back tears. "That's exactly how I felt after you said that I wasn't enough; it brought me back. And to be honest, it scared the shit out of me. I felt like if I wasn't enough, then I wouldn't be able to help you get past this- that if you did leave me it would be my fault because I couldn't do anything to prevent it."

Cat was completely shocked. _How could Jadey think that it would be her fault? Wait…_

"You don't think it was your fault then, do you?" Cat sounded hysterical.

The silence that Cat was met with only affirmed Jade's answer and Cat was crushed.

"Jade," Cat breathed as she wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Why? Why the hell would you think that?"

"I couldn't do anything to help you- to stop you from doing it. If you would've died," Jade choked out, "how could I not feel guilty? That's why I was so upset when you started talking about giving up, especially after the nightmare."

"I wouldn't do that to you, Jade. I promise. And, it wasn't your fault. You helped me so much-you did all that you could and I was so grateful for that. I still am. So please don't think that you let me down, because you didn't. You're helping put me back together. I love you, Jadey," Cat's voice broke.

"I love you too, baby girl," Jade responded, a faint smile playing across her features before she became serious once again.

"If you ever feel that way again, Cat, please talk to me. I don't want you to feel alone, or to feel like that ever again. Understand?"

Cat nodded sheepishly in response before looking up at her friend.

"What am I going to do when he does leave, Jadey?"

Jade's heart broke upon hearing the vulnerability in Cat's voice.

"I don't know, baby girl," she answered as she began rubbing circles on the petite girl's back. "But I do know that you won't have to go through it alone; I'll be here for you. I'll try and help you get through it. But you have to let me."

Cat nodded her head in agreement before Jade spoke up again.

"Where did you go after first period? Everyone was texting Beck and I asking where you went. Sikowitz told them that you were there this morning, so they were worried when you had just disappeared. Quite frankly, so were we."

"I went to visit Frankie," Cat answered. "I missed my brother, and I needed to talk to him. I told him about what happened this morning; I needed advice."

"What did he say?"

"He told me that he doesn't blame you for getting upset with me, and that he would've reacted the same way you did if he would've been there that night I had the nightmare. He started getting upset when I told him what I told you that night, telling me that he wouldn't know what to do if I was gone," Cat answered.

"See? I'm not the only one that would be devastated, Cat. Frankie loves you a lot and it hurts him to see you like this. He's probably really worried about you, but you know that he'll always be there," Jade reassured her friend.

"He told me that he would always be there for me and if he couldn't, he knew you would," Cat added on.

"He's right, Cat. Especially now, when you need it the most."

Cat let Jade's words sink in as she sat in silence. Jade was growing worried at Cat's lack of response, but before she could say anything she was interrupted by Cat's small voice.

"Do you wanna know what the worst part of it is? He could be gone tomorrow, and I'd never see it coming. They're waiting for a vacancy at the hospital in Florida. A spot could open up right now, tomorrow, or in a week. Frankie could be leaving tomorrow and I wouldn't even know."

"Cat," Jade breathed, wrapping her arms around the small girl.

"I know it's hard but you can't do anything about it. You just have to wait and see, and hope that it happens later. But when he does leave, remember that he's going to be getting the best psychiatric help offered in the country. He's not going away as a punishment, he's going away to get better, Cat. Remember that."

"I guess you're right," Cat sighed. "When you put it that way it makes this a _little_ easier, but it still sucks."

"I'm always right," she stated matter-of-factly, causing Cat to giggle. "I know that it's still hard, Cat, but I'll try to make it easier. After all, you are my best friend and it's hard to see you so hurt. I miss the bubbly, cheery Cat."

"Frankie said the same exact thing, about missing the old me. I miss it too, trust me. It's just hard to pretend that everything's okay, when in reality it's far from it," Cat confessed.

"The last time he left, I tried so hard to pretend like it didn't bother me. I didn't want people to think that I was clinically depressed or something, even though I guess I kind of was. But that bit me in the ass- it drove my friends crazy and pushed people away."

Jade cringed at Cat's confession. She knew when she said "friends" that she was implying Jade. After all, Jade wasn't so subtle when it came to expressing her annoyance towards her friend.

"I won't let you push me away this time, Cat. And I regret letting you do it the first time, because you needed someone. Just like now. So if you ever feel like you can't deal with this anymore, please, _please_ tell me. It doesn't bother me. What bothers me is when you _don't_ talk about it. It only makes things worse, and I don't want you to have to go through anything worse than this," Jade reassured her friend, tightening her embrace on the small girl.

"I promise I will, Jadey. And thank you: for being here for me and for always knowing the right things to say," Cat said sincerely.

"Any time, baby girl. Anytime."


	15. Chapter 15

**Every time I go to write, Fix You comes on my Pandora. O.o**

**Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing! Here's the next chapter :)**

After Cat and Jade's conversation, it seemed as if Cat was starting to return back to her normal self, sans the ditzy behavior. She had also taken her conversation with Frankie to heart and knew that she needed to reconnect with the old Cat. But more importantly, she was tired of her friends having to suffer for her methods of coping.

Cat came bounding down the stairs the following morning, and was greeted by her mother.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Are you up to some breakfast?"

Ever since Frankie had been admitted to the hospital, Cat's appetite had deteriorated almost completely. It wasn't that she was doing it on purpose, but rather she was too worried about her brother and not knowing when he would be leaving. Mrs. Valentine, and even Jade, tried to get Cat to eat on several occasions, however their attempts were unsuccessful. Still, every morning Mrs. Valentine would never hesitate to ask her daughter, for hope that one day her appetite would be restored.

"Please! I'm starving!" Cat giggled as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

Cat's response earned a wide smile from her mother, and she knew that her mother was elated.

"It's about time," Mrs. Valentine sighed. "Waffle?" she offered as she tossed it onto an empty plate.

"You're in a pretty good mood today, Mom. Is there a reason?" Cat laughed as she watched her mother dance around the kitchen while she prepared breakfast.

"I could say the same about yourself, sweetie. I'm glad to see that you're starting to…feel better," she added, for lack of better words.

Cat smiled at her mother's response.

_I'm glad that I can put a smile on Mom's face during all of this. _

"So I talked to your brother," Mrs. Valentine started, as she turned back to Cat.

_Uh-oh._

"And…?"

"And he told me about your surprise visit the other day."

_Shit._

"Yeah. It was nice. I miss him a lot."

"I know you do, baby," Cat's mother soothed as she stroked her daughter's hair.

"I'm really glad that you were able to go see him. You obviously needed that time with him; it looks like it did some good," she added with a smile.

"And I'm going to pretend I don't know that you visited in the middle of the school day."

_There it is._

Mrs. Valentine could feel her daughter tense under her touch, as if she were waiting for her punishment.

"I'm not mad, Cat. You obviously needed to see your brother; something was bothering you, I know. Just next time, call me first? I could've excused you so your teachers weren't trying to track you down. And by the sounds of it," she added, "your friends, too."

"Yeah," Cat sighed. "Jade and I sorta had a…uh…fight? If you could call it that. I had to talk to Frankie after that; he's the only one that understands me."

"Did it have anything to do with the nightmare, sweetheart? I could hear you guys in your room that night; I heard everything you guys were saying," Mrs. Valentine confessed, her voice broken.

_Oh my God. This is bad._

"Yeah, kind of," Cat mumbled.

"It was more so about the stuff that you probably heard during the screaming match, than the nightmare itself. After she left Thursday, I wouldn't answer my phone. I was so tired, Mom. I didn't want to deal with any of this."

"So you shut her out, too?" Her mother asked cautiously.

"Yeah," Cat muttered, guilty. "After our conversation that night, and after what happened the last time that Frankie left, when she didn't hear from me for so long, she thought that I…"

Cat didn't have to finish her train of thought for Mrs. Valentine to know exactly where she was headed; she understood and, to be honest, sympathized with Jade.

"Jade asked if she was enough to be able to help me cope with all of this. I told her that I wanted her to be enough, but until Frankie is one hundred percent better and home that I won't ever be the same. I felt so bad after saying that; she looked so hurt, Mom.

"So I went to visit Frankie. I told him everything that had happened between me and Jade, and he asked me about the nightmare. He told me that he would always be there for me, no matter how far away he is, and if he couldn't be then he knew that Jade would. I told him that I didn't know how much longer I could cope with all of this, and he reacted exactly like Jade did: he was so upset, Mom. I just- I'm tired of hurting people. No matter how I would try and deal with this, someone would get hurt. Whether it was me, my friends, my family…" Cat trailed off.

"Sweetheart," Mrs. Valentine breathed as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"Frankie told me a couple weeks ago, after the incident with dad, that I needed to be careful; he told me that I was going to lose myself in trying to change. But I didn't listen and now look what happened.

"There's just so much on my plate: trying to please my father, trying to grow up, dealing with my own mental instabilities, as Dad refers to it, and coping with Frankie having to leave." Cat's voice was barely above a whisper as she tried to keep her emotions in check.

"Cat," her mother sighed, heartbroken, "why have you never told us about any of this? We could've helped you. You can't just bottle all this up; look where it's gotten you. You're going to hit your breaking point soon, sweetie, and I don't want to see you go through that; I don't want anything to be worse than it is now."

"I was afraid, Mom. I didn't know how Dad would react. He'd probably just say that I'm unstable and can't handle my problems by myself. I didn't want to give him any reason to ship me off to New Jersey any faster than he was already planning," Cat explained, growing aggravated.

"I knew this was going to happen," Mrs. Valentine mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Sweetheart, you need to talk to your father- tell him how you feel. As far as your "instabilities" as you call it, I think that you're doing a wonderful job at handling them, Cat. I can see that you're trying so hard. I can also see that it's working," her mother offered, smiling at her daughter.

Cat let out a nervous sigh. "I know that I shouldn't be, but I'm afraid to talk to Dad. We haven't really been on the best terms with each other lately; I'm nervous. Besides, he seems to be taking a liking to the newer Cat."

"He does," Cat's mother admitted. "But I know that he misses his little girl, too. I think he was just getting tired of you _acting_ like his little girl."

Cat sat in silence for a moment, processing her mother's words.

"Do you want to know why I acted like that?" she asked, her words permeating the silence. Without waiting for her mother's answer, Cat continued.

"After Frankie came back from New Jersey, I was terrified. I didn't know if and when he was going to have another episode; I didn't know when he was going to leave me again. It was so hard to cope with that, never knowing when my big brother would leave me again. I didn't want to tell Frankie that, because it wasn't his fault. I didn't want to make him feel guilty for something that he can't control. I was afraid to turn to you and Dad because I didn't want you guys to be burdened with another mentally ill child, and I was afraid to turn to Jade because I knew how badly I had hurt her after that night. The only way that I could act as if nothing was wrong, was to act the way that I was. I thought that maybe if I acted so ditzy and childish that people would stop asking me what was wrong- that they would just eventually give up. Looks like it worked, up until now that is."

Mrs. Valentine remained silent, completely shocked by her daughter's confession. She had no idea that her daughter had been feeling this way.

"I wish you would've told me, baby. I would've _never_ felt that you were burdening us. If you're hurting, it's my job to make sure that you feel better. Your father feels the same way, Cat. I'm sure of it.

"Is your father the only reason that you've changed, Cat?"

Cat sighed, a slight smile appearing on her face.

"No. I recently found out that when people say that they're there for you, they'll help you; they'll listen. Jade has been telling me that for so long, Mom, and once I realized it I felt so much better. I didn't feel the need to hide behind someone that I'm not.

"At first when I was dressing in Jade's clothes and snapping at everyone, that was out of spite towards Dad. But, Beck and Jade saw right through that. They knew that something was bothering me, so they were there for me. They listened to me while I explained everything, and when I was done I felt so much better."

"I'm glad that you have such amazing friends, Cat. I don't know how I could ever thank them for helping my baby. Especially Jade that day in the hospital," Mrs. Valentine confessed. Cat flinched as she remembered that horrific day.

"I am too, Mom. I don't know what I'd do without them; they're like my rock. Frankie, too. If it weren't for that conversation I had with him the other day, I'd probably be acting like I was after he was admitted. Heck, probably worse because Jade wouldn't be here. I'm just really afraid for what's going to happen once Frankie leaves for Florida," Cat admitted.

"Well, you know that your friends will be there for you, sweetie. And so will your father and I. We'll get through it together," Mrs. Valentine consoled her daughter, as she embraced her.

"I love you so much, baby."

"I love you too, Mom," Cat replied as a few tears fell down her cheeks. After a few minutes in her mother's embrace, Cat pulled away and made her way to the door, collecting all of her school things. Walking out the door, Cat turned to her mother and uttered a sincere "Thanks, Mom. For everything," before heading off to school.

**~Fix You~**

"Hey, hey!" Cat greeted as she sat down in her usual spot at the lunch table.

"Sup Little Red?" Andre greeted his friend, before opening his mouth to correct himself.

"I mean-"

"It's okay, Andre. I kind of missed being Little Red," Cat interrupted, flashing him a genuine smile.

"You seem to be doing a lot better, Cat. I'm glad," Tori commented as she embraced her petite friend.

"Me, too," the girls were interrupted as Jade took her place next to Cat.

"Hey, Jadey," Cat greeted, excited at the appearance of her best friend.

Jade perked up a bit as she noticed Cat's happy demeanor. "Hey, baby girl."

All eyes turned to look at Jade in shock. The only other person that had ever heard Jade utter Cat's special nickname was Beck; no one else knew this side to the normally bitchy Jade West.

Jade pretended that she didn't notice and turned her attention back to Cat as she leaned in to whisper into her friend's ear.

"Are you really okay, Cat?" Jade asked, nervous that this was just another one of Cat's acts.

The last time that Jade had seen Cat, she was so upset about Frankie leaving. She didn't know what could've changed her attitude, but she didn't have any complaints: she was just happy that her baby girl was okay, even though she knew that it probably wouldn't last long.

Cat nodded in response. "I'll be okay, Jadey," she assured her friend as she pulled her lunch out of her backpack. Mrs. Valentine, elated by the fact that Cat had eaten breakfast that morning, quickly packed a lunch for her daughter. Despite having eaten breakfast, Cat was starving and was grateful for her mother's action.

As Cat threw her lunch on the table she couldn't help but notice the smile plastered on her best friend's face. It took all of Jade's will to not cry out in happiness at the fact that Cat was eating again, as the rest of their friends had no idea about the extent of Cat's problems. Sure, they knew about Frankie and him moving across the country, but they really had no idea how badly it was taking a toll on their petite friend.

Cat returned the smile, reaching for her strawberries. As she popped a few into her mouth, Beck took his spot next to Jade.

"Hey, babe," he greeted as he gently kissed Jade's forehead. He noticed the smile that spread across her face and knew that a certain redhead must've put it there. Beck turned towards Cat and immediately noticed her lunch sprawled out on the table.

"Cat!" He exclaimed, just as happy as Jade at the fact that his small friend's appetite was restored.

"Beck!" Cat mocked. However her words were garbled by her mouth full of strawberries. This earned laughs from around the table.

The rest of lunch continued on as any normal day. Rex continued to toss his insults, Tori and Andre sampled a song that they were working on for their song writing class, and Robbie went on about the various types of food that he stores in his pocket. As the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, the rest of the gang said their goodbyes and left from the table, leaving Cat with Beck and Jade.

"So, Cat," Jade began, "now that everyone's gone, are you sure that you're okay? You don't have to pretend anymore."

Both Beck and Jade looked at their friend expectantly, watching and waiting for Cat's walls to come crumbling down. However they were shocked upon hearing her response.

"I told you, Jadey. I'll be okay. I can't control the situation; I can't do anything about when Frankie leaves, so I shouldn't make myself sick worrying about it. When it happens, it will happen. I mean sure it's going to be hard, but I know that my friends will be there for me."

Both Beck and Jade sighed in relief as Jade reached out to grab Cat's hand.

"You're right, baby girl. We'll be here," she reassured her friend.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Sorry I haven 't updated in a while, I've been swamped. Anyways, here's the next chapter :)**

Cat stood outside of her father's office, nervously contemplating whether or not she should knock on the door. She knew that her mother was right, that she needed to let her father know how she was feeling but she knew that it would be no easy feat. Heaving a sigh, Cat lightly tapped on the door and anxiously awaited her father's response.

Her knock was immediately met by a response from Mr. Valentine, as he huffed out a "Come in."

Cat took a shaky step into her father's office, careful to avoid his gaze.

"Cat? What is it, sweetheart?" Mr. Valentine asked, confused by his daughter's appearance.

Her heart fluttered at her father's name for her. It had been long since she had heard that word leave her father's lips.

_Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought._

Cat carefully shut the office door before making her way to the couch. Upon sitting down, she began twiddling her thumbs, unsure of how to start the conversation. After minutes of staring at the ground, Cat looked up to meet her father's expectant, yet concerned, gaze.

_Here goes nothing, _Cat sighed.

"Can we talk?" she asked her father, her voice small.

Mr. Valentine was taken aback by Cat's request, especially her tone.

"Shoot," he offered.

Cat's father held his breath in anticipation. He knew that this conversation would be coming, he just didn't know when, let alone how to approach it.

"Are you really going to ship me off to New Jersey, like you did to Frankie?"

Cat was met with only silence. Her heart began to speed up in her chest as the silence only confirmed her fear. Finally, Mr. Valentine looked at his daughter and began to answer.

"If we can't help you anymore here, then yes, Cat. I'm afraid that we're going to."

Cat went completely still as her heart shattered. Sure she had heard her parents talk about this before, but somehow it seemed different hearing it come directly from her father's mouth. No beating around the bush, just the blunt truth.

All Cat could manage was a "But why?" as the tears threatened to fall.

"Cat," her father breathed as he took in his daughter's demeanor, awaiting the emotional outburst. "I just don't think that it's healthy, or normal for that matter, for someone of your age to act like such a child. Your mother and I are starting to think that you have an identity disorder, and that place in New Jersey can help you take control of it before things start getting out of hand. And, after Frankie's recent episode, we're afraid that you might relapse into…that behavior," Mr. Valentine explained, for lack of better words.

Cat sat in silence as she digested her father's words.

_Instead of being here for me to cope with Frankie leaving, he's going to make someone else do it for him. _

"I don't have a disorder," she whispered almost inaudibly.

"Cat-"

"Have you ever thought that maybe I act so childish as a form of protection?" Cat interrupted, her voice rising with frustration.

"Have you ever thought that maybe I acted that way in hopes of pushing people away, so I didn't have to burden them with my problems? To pretend that everything was okay, so as to not make other people worry?" She reiterated the same thing that she had confessed to her mother that morning.

Mr. Valentine was completely taken aback by his daughter's response. Much like his wife, he had no idea that his little girl had been feeling this way.

"Why do you think I started dressing darker and acting so on edge," Cat continued. "My ways of coping were driving people crazy, especially you. I didn't want you to think that I'm unstable, because I'm not, Dad. I just don't know how else to cope, besides burying it all. So I changed to try and gain your approval, which helped you out a little but only made things worse for me.

"I had to deal with not only trying to cope with Frankie leaving, but also learning how to express my feelings and trying to find myself. It's hard, Dad. So hard. Especially when your own father starts giving up on you." Cat's voice was beginning to shake as she tried desperately to control her emotions.

"Sweetheart, why haven't you ever told me and your mother about this? About any of this? You know that we'd be there for you."

"You're really going to ask me why I wouldn't come and talk to you, of all people? Especially after these past couple of weeks?" Cat was growing aggravated. How could her father act like that towards her, threaten to ship her off- give up on her- and then wonder why she wouldn't confide in him?

Mr. Valentine was silent, guilt washing over his body. He knew that Cat was right. He hurt her, so why should he expect her to come to him when she needed help?

"How long has this been going on, Cat?" Mr. Valentine asked his daughter, afraid of her answer.

"When Frankie left for New Jersey."

"Why didn't you come to us then, sweetie?"

"I didn't want to bother you. You were already so busy, what with finalizing Frankie going away, not to mention the fact that Frankie's health was deteriorating. I thought that I would be a lot better at hiding my feelings, but I guess that didn't work. I was tired of people asking if I was okay afterwards; the more people brought it up, the worse I felt. So I thought that if I pushed people away, they'd eventually just give up. I just never thought that one of those people would be my own father." Cat swallowed the ever-rising lump in her throat, however to no avail.

Cat furiously wiped at the steady falling tears, hoping that her father wouldn't notice. However, her luck ran a little on the short side.

"Cat?" Mr. Valentine was startled by her display of emotion. He left his spot at his computer and joined his daughter on the couch.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry if I made you feel that I wouldn't be there to help you cope after Frankie left," Mr. Valentine apologized as he placed his daughter's hand in his.

"The last thing that I want to do is push my little girl away. Or, for my little girl to push me away- to be afraid that I won't understand her."

"I'm trying so hard, Dad. Trying to be strong for Frankie, and you and Mom. But, I just don't know what's going to happen when Frankie leaves. Especially because I have no idea when he's going to be gone."

"None of us do, Cat. But this time when it happens, you don't have to burry your feelings, you can let it out. No one will blame you, Cat; you have every right to be hurting," Mr. Valentine consoled his daughter.

"Thanks, Dad," she sniffled, hugging her father.

"Anytime, sweetheart," he reassured her before placing a kiss on her cheek.

Cat smiled and stood up from her spot on the couch as she went to go get ready for bed, but was interrupted by her father.

"Promise me something, Cat. If you _ever_ feel like you did the last time that your brother left, please talk to us. We'll try and help you, sweetie. I don't want you to feel like there's no way out, okay? Because there is. I love you, Cat."

"I promise, Daddy. And, I love you too."

Cat walked out of her father's office, a small smile on her face.

_That went way better than I expected. _

Cat entered her room, before plopping down on her bed. As her eyes mindlessly wandered about her room, they landed on a familiar plush giraffe in the corner. With a smile, Cat got up off of her bed to retrieve the familiar friend and brought it back into bed with her. It had been a long time since Cat had slept with the comfort of Mr. Purple, and to be honest, she was starting to miss it.

"Goodnight, Mr. Purple," she muttered into the darkness as she let sleep overcome her.

_Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought. My friends are here for me, so are my parents. It won't be easy, but I will get through it._


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for reading and for the reviews! :) Here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think :)**

The next morning Cat awoke in a far better mood. Sure, her conversation with her father went better than she had thought, but there was another reason for Cat's happiness. After what seemed like hours of constant begging on Cat's behalf, Mrs. Valentine finally agreed to let her daughter skip her morning classes in order to visit Frankie. Cat bounded down the stairs in excitement that morning, hoping to be greeted by the aroma of breakfast. However as she entered the kitchen, she was greeted by nothing but silence. This was unexpected, as both Mr. and Mrs. Valentine usually left the house about the same time that Cat left for school.

"They must've had to work earlier today," Cat mumbled into the silence.

Thinking nothing of it, Cat shrugged it off and grabbed herself a granola bar to hold her over until she reached the hospital.

The entire drive to the hospital, however, Cat began to worry as her stomach tied itself in knots. She tried reassuring herself that nothing was wrong- that her parents just had an early day- but for some reason she couldn't rid herself of the anxiety that was beginning to take over. As Cat pulled up to the familiar hospital, she turned the car off and pulled out her phone, checking for any messages from her parents. Finding none, Cat walked through the doors and to the psych ward.

Cat felt a rather somber atmosphere settle around her as she neared the front desk. The secretary, upon spotting Cat, immediately stood up and walked over to greet her. Cat was used to this, however a look of sympathy replaced the smile that she was accustomed to. By this point, there wasn't a shadow of a doubt that something was wrong; the tension was almost palpable. Cat, afraid of what was coming, nervously spoke up.

"What's going on?"

The torn look on the other woman's face was all Cat needed to understand that something terrible had happened. Cat felt weak, as if she were about to crumble.

"Please," her voice was filled with desperation.

The woman was hesitant, afraid to deliver the news to the fragile girl and heaved a sigh of relief when she spotted an approaching nurse. As the nurse made her way to Cat, the secretary gently rubbed Cat's back before retreating back to her desk, not uttering a single word during the whole process.

Before Cat could question any further, she was taken by the hand as the nurse began walking her towards Frankie's room. The closer that Cat came to the room, she began to shake with anticipation. The nurse noticed this, but instead of reassuring her that everything would be alright, turned her attention away.

_Something bad happened. I know it. I know that they know it, too. Why won't they just tell me?_

However Cat was pulled out of her thoughts as she gained sight of her brother's room. A flurry of doctors and nurses were making their way in and out of the room, creating a buzz of commotion. It took every ounce of will power for Cat to not take off in a full sprint to get to her brother. As they came closer to the room, the sounds of muffled screams filled the air. Cat's stomach lurched. She knew all too well what was happening: he was having another episode. The nurse came to an abrupt stop, trying to avert Cat's gaze from her brother's room, hoping there was a small chance that she hadn't heard anything. However the panicked look that was evident on Cat's face was enough to confirm that, yes, she had heard everything. Cat tried to break free of the nurse's grip, desperate to help her brother, but it was no use.

"Sweetheart," the nurse began, her voice solemn, "Frankie had another episode this morning."

Cat paled as she took in the woman's words.

_Had? Then what's going on now?_

"_Had_ an episode?"

She was met in response by the slow nod of the nurse's head. Then, as if she could read Cat's mind, added "And I guess he's having another."

Cat didn't want to believe what she had just heard, but the screams coming from her brother's room were all she needed to confirm her fear.

The nurse watched Cat with caution, waiting for the moment when she would try and enter the room. To the nurse's surprise, Cat remained completely still. Instead, she was faced with a torrent of questions.

"When? How? What happened?" Cat's voice began to rise in hysteria.

The nurse, noticing the girl's crumbling demeanor, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It happened around six this morning. We don't know what triggered it, but he was adamant about the fact that someone was in his room, looking for you."

Cat felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She staggered backwards, trying to regain her balance, and placed a steadying hand on the wall as she tried to pay close attention as to what the nurse was saying. However her thoughts were clouded by a faint roaring sound ringing through her ears.

"What else?" Cat demanded, breathless.

The nurse, taking in the girl's fragile state, debated on whether or not to continue. Knowing that the girl would be persistent, she heaved a sigh and reluctantly continued, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He kept saying that this person was looking for you. It was the same person that he had seen during his last episode, before he was admitted. According to Frankie, anyway. He said that they tried killing him, and that they were after you next. He successfully broke out of two of his restraints, and was unresponsive to any of the sedatives that he was injected with. He eventually snapped out of it on his own, but then had no recollection of what had happened, or where he was."

Cat remained motionless as she tried to digest what the nurse was telling her. She couldn't believe what was happening. Frankie's episodes used to be few and far between, but now? She let out a shaky breath before she continued on with her questions.

"Do you know what this one's about?"

Just as the nurse was about to answer, she was interrupted by a doctor that had made her way out of Frankie's room. Seeing that the nurse was with Cat, she approached them and looked to the nurse for approval before explaining to them about Frankie's state. She seemed hesitant at first, as she noticed Cat's appearance, but figured that she needed to inform her of what was going on.

"He's having another episode," she explained, the solemnity evident in her voice. "He said that the person is back; it's a repeat of this morning. But…" she looked to Cat to make sure that she was still alert.

"Please," Cat begged, her voice broken.

"But there's no telling how long it will take for him to snap out of it this time. And because of the rapid reoccurrence and severity of episodes…"

_No. NO._

The roaring in Cat's ears became more prominent as her vision began to blur. She knew exactly what was going to happen, however she didn't want to believe it.

"He's being flown out to Florida. Tonight."

Her worst nightmare was coming true: her brother was leaving her.

"C-Can I see him?" she sputtered as she began to go numb.

The look in the doctor's eyes was all the confirmation that Cat needed to know that she wouldn't get to see her brother. As the remnants of her energy seeped from her body, Cat sagged to the floor, slipping into unconsciousness.

**~Fix You~**

_Jade, honey, this is Mrs. Valentine. Can you please come to the hospital? It's an emergency._

Mrs. Valentine's message replayed through Jade's mind as she ran through the hospital corridors. She had no idea what happened, but she could only guess that it had something to do with Frankie. Jade was in the middle of an acting exercise when she received Mrs. Valentine's message and, thinking it was Cat, whipped out her phone without hesitation. The urgent tone in Mrs. Valentine's voice was all that Jade needed to send her running out of the classroom, leaving her classmates, and Beck, dazed and confused.

As Jade burst through the doors to the psych ward she immediately began running towards Frankie's room, sparing any unnecessary interaction with the overly-friendly secretary. She could hear the commotion from down the hall, and could see the multitude of doctors frantically running in and out of the room. Nervous, Jade quickened her pace. As she approached the room she noticed a group of doctors huddled on the floor, working furiously on a patient. Jade tried desperately to gain sight of the patient, when instead she caught sight of a distraught-looking Mrs. Valentine. The anguish on her face was enough to tell Jade that things were far worse than she thought.

"Mrs. Valentine!" Jade called out to the woman. "What's going on? What's happening?"

"Frankie had an episode this morning, and they're trying to control his current one," her voice broke as she tried to control her emotions.

"They're moving him to the facility in Florida. Tonight."

Jade felt her heart sink. They all knew that it would happen at some point, but no one could guess when. Upon hearing the news, she knew that she needed to find Cat.

"Is that why Cat wasn't in class this morning? Where is she?"

"No, she came to visit Frankie. Her father and I were here before she was, and she arrived right as he started having the second episode. And…" Mrs. Valentine trailed off, trying to stem the tears.

"Where is she?" Jade begged, her own voice wavering as she feared the worst.

Rather than uttering a response, the woman turned her gaze toward the crowd of doctors huddled outside of her son's room. The silent gesture was enough for Jade to understand.

"No!" she yelled as she tried to make her way into the circle.

"Miss, you can't be here," a stern voice reprimanded.

Jade couldn't care less. After all, she never listened before so why start now?

"Cat! I need to see her, she's my best friend!"

Successfully pushing her way through the crowd of doctors, Jade was able to gain sight of her friend, lying motionless on the ground. She placed a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle the sobs, however it was no use. As she stood up, she staggered backwards and into the arms of Mrs. Valentine.

"What happened?" Jade cried out in anguish, causing the woman to wrap her arms tighter around the girl.

"She's going to be alright, sweetheart. She'll wake up. She's been through a lot today; her mind needs to protect itself. It's going to be okay." Mrs. Valentine tried reassuring the teen, however it seemed as though she was reassuring herself as well.

The doctors began lifting Cat's limp body onto a stretcher, eager to get her into a room. Jade immediately tore herself from Mrs. Valentine, anxious to know where they were taking her friend. However instead of the answers that she was hoping for, the doctors began wheeling Cat away. Jade's eyes widened in shock as she watched her best friend being taken away and she turned to Mrs. Valentine, silently asking if she should go after them.

"You go, sweetheart. I need to stay here for Frankie, and I know she's going to want her best friend when she wakes up," the woman assured Jade with a slight smile.

After giving Mrs. Valentine another quick hug, Jade took off down the hall after the doctors, barely catching sight of them before they disappeared into a room.

Jade ran after them, and was able to slip into the room right as the door was being shut. Knowing that there was no use arguing with the girl, a nurse came over to Jade and began explaining to her what had happened.

"Cat's been unconscious for about twenty minutes. She has a pulse, so that's good. She didn't hit her head on the way down, either, so she'll be fine, sweetie."

Jade just nodded her head in understanding, still too shocked to say anything. The nurse noticed this and wrapped her arms around the girl, allowing her to cry softly into her shoulder.

"She's going to be okay. I wouldn't tell you that if it were a lie," she reassured the sobbing girl.

As the doctors finished settling Cat, they left the room, leaving Jade alone with her best friend.

"Press the call button if anything happens, okay?" the nurse softly requested as she left the room.

Jade simply nodded as she continued to stare at her friend. Getting off her chair, she walked over to the bed and took Cat's hand in hers.

"Baby girl, it's Jadey. Can you hear me?" she was hopeful of a response, however received none. Gently stroking her thumb over Cat's hand, she tried again.

"Can you open your eyes for me, Cat? You're safe now."

However Cat remained unconscious. Over the next hour Jade continued to sit at her friend's bedside, waiting for the moment when Cat would wake up; it was the longest hour of Jade's life. She pulled out her phone to check for messages, as her phone had been on silent since stepping foot into the hospital. During the course of her visit she had received about twenty texts from Beck.

_Babe, please answer me. What's going on? _

A new text came across her screen, from none other than Beck, and with a sigh she opened it.

_Jadelyn August West, this isn't funny. What the hell is going on?_

Deciding to put off the conversation, Jade shoved her phone back into her pocket and turned her attention back to her friend and noticed Cat's eyelids begin to flutter. Jade perked up in anticipation, waiting for her to wake up. After about a minute, Cat's eyes opened and she was met by Jade brushing her hair back from her face. She whimpered in discomfort, discontent at the fact that she was in the hospital.

"Jadey?" she croaked, trying to get her friend's attention.

Jade's head snapped up upon hearing her name leave Cat's lips, and the tears started to well in her eyes.

"You're awake," she smiled as she wiped away the tears.

"I was asleep?" Cat asked, clearly confused.

Jade nodded slowly, trying to shake the image of an unconscious Cat.

"You've been out for about an hour and half."

As Cat continued to regain consciousness, the events from the past day slowly started coming back to her.

"Where's Frankie? Is he okay?" Cat's voice was beginning to rise with panic.

"I don't know, Cat. I got here right after you…" Jade trailed off, afraid of making her fragile friend worry.

"He hasn't left yet, if that's what you're asking. Your mom said that-"

"He's leaving tonight," Cat whispered as she remembered what she had been told. Cat's frame was wracked with sobs as she processed the thought.

_My brother's leaving tonight. He's leaving indefinitely, and I don't even get to say goodbye._

Jade's heart crumbled as she watched her friend. In an effort to console the girl, Jade carefully laid herself down next to Cat and pulled her close.

"I don't even get to say goodbye," Cat bit out in between sobs. "They won't let me say goodbye."

Jade was seeing red. The girl's brother was moving across the country, indefinitely, and they wouldn't even let her say goodbye?

"It's okay, baby girl. Frankie's going to be okay, alright? I promise you, Cat. They're going to make him better; it's going to be worth it in the end." Jade began stroking Cat's hair in an effort to calm her down. It worked eventually, as Cat's sobs died down into quiet whimpers.

"He's really leaving, Jadey," Cat sniffled. "He's leaving, and there's nothing that I can do about it. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"I know, baby, I know," Jade soothed as she pulled he friend closer.

Jade continued to hold Cat for what seemed like hours, before the girl finally fell asleep.

_How can they take him away without letting her say goodbye? _She fumed.

Carefully releasing herself from Cat's grip, she slipped out of the bed and out into the hall. Jade made her way down the halls before approaching her destination: Frankie's room.

She noticed a doctor leaving the room and before he could walk past her, she snagged his arm.

"What the hell?!" Jade all but screamed.

The doctor was completely taken aback by Jade's comment.

"Excuse me?"

"Her brother is about to go 3,000 miles away, indefinitely to make matters worse, and you won't even let her say goodbye?!"

"Miss, you don't-"

"No, _you_ don't understand. You weren't there when she woke up, you didn't see her face when she remembered that she couldn't say goodbye to her brother, and you weren't the one that had to tell her that everything would be okay, when we all know it's not. So don't you _dare _tell me that _I _don't understand." Jade was shaking with anger by this point, and could tell that the doctor's will was crumbling. Heaving a sigh of defeat, the doctor turned his attention back to the girl.

"Fine. She can come and say goodbye, I'll give her ten minutes-"

"More!" Jade shouted, clearly irritated.

"I'll give her a half an hour to visit with Frankie and say her goodbyes, but that's it. Nothing more."

Jade smiled triumphantly as she turned on heel to make her way back to Cat's room.

When she walked in, however, she was startled to see Cat awake, frantically looking for Jade.

"Jadey!" she cried out in relief upon seeing her best friend. "Where were you? I woke up and you were gone."

Jade's heart broke at the sadness in Cat's voice, however she couldn't fight the smile that began to play across her features. But before Cat could ask, Jade interrupted her.

"Come on, Cat. There's someone that wants to see you."

Cat nearly leapt out of her bed with joy at the news, causing her to stagger a bit.

"Whoa there, it's not a race," Jade chuckled as she helped her friend regain her balance.

Jade carefully wrapped her arm around Cat's waist to not only keep her upright, but also because she knew that if allowed, Cat would take off at full speed, anxious to get to her brother's room. As the two approached the room they were greeted by a doctor that was waiting to take Cat inside.

Cat turned around to hug her friend, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Thank you, Jadey. So much."

A tear made its way down Jade's cheek as she took in Cat's bright and genuine smile, happy for her friend.

"You're welcome, Cat. I love you, baby girl. Now, say hi to Frankie for me."


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks so much for the reviews! :D Here's chapter 18!**

It was a bittersweet moment for Cat, walking into her brother's room. Of course she was thrilled to be able to see him one last time before he left, but she also felt uneasy: she had no idea what she was about to walk in on. Silently praying that her brother was okay, she entered the room and was relieved when she found him awake, sitting by the window. Startled by the creak of the door, he whipped his head around to gain sight of the intruder.

"Knock, knock" Cat chimed as she stepped into the room.

"Cat! They let you in!" he exclaimed in excitement as he leapt out of his chair.

Cat chuckled at Frankie's enthusiasm. "Well, if Jade had anything to do with it, which I'm pretty sure that she did, there was no way they could say no."

Frankie walked over to his sister and swept her off her feet in a giant hug. Cat squealed with amusement, happy to see that Frankie was acting like his normal self again, for now.

"Gotta give the girl credit: what Jade wants, Jade gets," he laughed as he gently set her down.

"So," Cat started, afraid to touch the subject, "how are you feeling?"

The smile instantly disappeared from her brother's face as he, too, had been hoping to avoid the matter at hand.

Sitting down on his bed, he gently patted the spot next to him, signaling for Cat to join him. Frankie took his sister's hand in his.

"I feel a hell of a lot better than I did a couple of hours ago, that's for damn sure," he laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Frankie," Cat sighed in disapproval, but she couldn't help the infectious smile that crept across her face.

"How much time are they giving you?" Frankie asked, anxiously awaiting his sister's response.

"Half an hour," Cat sighed. "But can we not talk about that? I don't want this to be a sad…"

"Goodbye?" Frankie finished, only to be met with a solemn look from Cat.

"It's not a goodbye, because you'll be back. One day, you will be. Whether it's in a year, six months, six years, I'll see you again," Cat reassured her brother as she brushed away a lone tear.

Frankie wrapped his arms around his sister, eager to comfort her.

"You're right, Kitty Cat. Thank you," he smiled down at her.

"So, Mom told me about what happened out there," Frankie stated, clearly amused.

"Oh, God," Cat mumbled in embarrassment as she placed her head in her hands. "How much did she tell you?"

"Apparently it was after the nurses were talking with you, explaining the situation, and then it was lights out for Cat," Frankie explained as he held back laughter.

"I'm glad you find this funny," Cat muttered.

"Well, someone once told me that if you can't control a situation, that you should just embrace it."

Cat smiled up at her brother. "You know that's not what I meant, Frankie," she playfully scolded him. "But thanks for making me laugh."

"Anytime, Cat" he assured the petite girl, before his expression suddenly became serious.

"You know that no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you, right?" Frankie asked, his voice breaking.

"Frankie-"

"No. We can't avoid the topic forever. I'm not going to let you leave without saying a goodbye." Cat opened her mouth to protest, but Frankie held up his hand to stop her.

"We all know that this is a goodbye, Cat. Whether it's temporary or not, it's still a goodbye."

Cat inhaled sharply as she tried to stem the tears. She looked up at her brother through glistening eyes, and buried her face in his chest.

"I don't want you to leave," she sobbed. "You can't go, Frankie. Screw what I said about accepting the situation. This sucks."

Frankie's heart broke at the agony in Cat's voice. He hated seeing his little sister so upset.

"I don't want to leave either, Cat. But if I don't, how will I get better?"

Cat wanted to argue, to say that she could make the voices go away, but she knew from past experience that friends and family can only do so much. She knew that this really was for the best, no matter how painful the situation may be.

"You wouldn't," she cried, her words muffled.

"Did Cat Valentine just agree with me?" he asked, feigning shock.

Cat laughed through the tears and looked up at her brother.

"Shut up. This isn't funny, Frankie." Her face became contorted with pain once again.

"I know, Cat. I'm sorry," he apologized as he brought his sister into his lap, "but you can't blame me for trying."

Cat remained in silence, in her brother's warm embrace, but was pulled out of her thoughts upon hearing Frankie's voice.

"I'm scared, Cat," he confessed as he gripped his sister tighter.

"Don't be, Frankie. They're going to help you."

"I couldn't care less about that, Cat. I just-" he paused, hesitant to continue.

"Frankie, please," Cat begged.

"I'm not afraid for myself. I'm afraid for you, of what's going to happen to you after I leave tonight."

Cat flinched at her brother's words; the anguish behind them broke her heart. She didn't know what to say to console him. She didn't want to promise him that everything would be alright, because she knew that it wouldn't be. Sure she had said before that she couldn't control the situation, and that she would try and get through it, but that was before today- before her world came crashing down.

Frankie grew worried at Cat's silence, and looked down at his sister.

"Cat?"

_Oh, God. I don't know what to tell him. How do I tell him without making him worry any more than he already has? _

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Frankie's stomach as he pulled away from Cat, staring her straight in the eye.

"You're not thinking about that again, are you?!" His voice rose with hysteria.

Cat remained in silence as the tears started flowing once again. However, her reaction was misconstrued.

"Cat! You can't do that!"

"I won't. I'm not going to. But I can't promise you that I'm going to be alright once you're gone. I know that I said that I would try and get through it, to stay strong, but that was before today. It's easier said than done, Frankie. I'm afraid that I can't do it," Cat cried, trying to avoid her brother's gaze.

"I know that I need to be strong for Mom and Dad, and especially for Jade. I don't want her to worry anymore. I want her to be convinced that I wouldn't leave her, _ever._ But it's just too hard."

"Cat, look at me," Frankie sighed, trying to get his little sister's attention. Realizing that it was hopeless, he gently placed a finger under her chin, bringing her back to him.

"Listen. I know that you're torn, Cat. But remember this: you can't stay strong for everyone. If you try and please everyone but yourself, you're going to end up hurt; I don't want to see that happen. You're hurting, you're allowed to be weak. This isn't some petty issue, Cat, and people understand that. You don't have to pretend."

"I can't hurt them," Cat choked out. "I don't want them to think that I'm…that way again, Frankie, but I know that it'll be a matter of time before I break. I just don't know what to do!" Cat threw her hands up in defeat, standing up from the bed.

"Do what makes things easier on you. You're the only one that knows exactly how you feel, so don't let others control your emotions. If you need to let it out, let it out. If you need to talk to me, to hear my voice, I'll be there for you. I'd drop everything for you in a heartbeat, Cat. You know that." Frankie stood up from his spot on the bed and made his way over to Cat, wrapping an arm around her.

"What am I going to do without you?" her pained words broke the silence as she turned to face her brother. "No one else understands me like you do, not even Jade. She can't possibly understand what we're going through. Sure, she's been watching us go through it, trying to help keep me sane, but…" Cat hesitated, as she didn't want to repeat what had caused her best friend so much grief.

"It's not enough," Frankie whispered, finishing Cat's thought.

She shook her head as she placed her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs.

"Cat," he breathed, making his way over to her.

"What's going to happen, Frankie? What if you don't get better?"

"I will, Cat. The faster that I get better, the faster I can come home," he reassured the fragile girl.

Cat nodded her head in understanding, unable to utter a single coherent word.

"I'm going to be okay, Cat. You'll be okay, too. Just remember that with every day that passes, I'm one day closer to coming home. So if you feel like you can't do it anymore, just remember that." Frankie eyed the clock, realizing that a doctor would be in any minute to bring Cat back outside. His heart sank as he knew that he only had minutes left with his sister.

"Promise me something?" his voice wavered as he tried to fight the rising lump in his throat.

She whimpered in response, knowing that their goodbye was coming to an end.

"Don't give up. If you're having a hard day, or having a hard time in general, let someone know. Please. I think I'd go crazy not knowing if you were okay."

Realizing what he had said, Frankie let out a soft chuckle before adding, "well, even more crazy," earning a smile from Cat.

"I won't give up. I'm going to be strong, for you. It'll be damn near impossible, but I'll try my hardest," Cat spoke up, rather assertive.

"Cat, remember what I told you. You don't have to be strong for everyone else," Frankie cautiously reminded his sister.

"I'm not doing it for them," she sniffled as she wiped the tears from her red-rimmed eyes, "I'm doing it for you, Frankie. I don't want you to feel like it's your fault that I'm hurting, because it's not. You couldn't change the situation if you wanted to, and I don't want you to feel guilty for that. So, I promise that I won't give up- I won't let this break me."

Just as Cat uttered her final word, the nurse came in, informing them both that it was time for her to leave. Frankie wrapped his sister in his tight embrace as he wiped the fresh fallen tears from her cheeks.

"Everything will be okay, Cat. I'm going to get better, I promise. I love you, Kitty Cat."

Cat's heart shattered as she heard his special nickname for her. She knew that it would be a while until she heard it again, or that it could be the last time. She gripped onto her brother tighter, reluctant to let him go.

"I love you too, Frankie. I'm going to be okay; it won't be easy, but I promise that I'll be alright." Cat took in a shaky breath as she released herself from her brother's grip, preparing herself for the final goodbye. As she walked out the door she uttered a heartbroken "Goodbye, Frankie. I'll miss you."

The door shut behind her as a few nurses went in to finalize everything for Frankie to be flown out that night, leaving Cat in the hallway.

_He's leaving; he's actually leaving. By this time tomorrow, he'll be gone. _

As the reality finally set in, tears reappeared in Cat's eyes.

Just as she was about to plop down on the floor in defeat, Jade interrupted her, eager to make sure that her friend was alright. Seeing her best friend, Cat ran up to Jade and slammed into her, no longer fighting the sobs that emanated from her throat. Jade stood as a solid force behind her and held her tight, rubbing small circles on her back in a vain effort to calm the emotional girl.

"He's leaving. He's really leaving," Cat broke down, all but collapsing in the arms of her best friend.

Jade swept the girl up and nestled her in her arms, trying to hush Cat's anguished sobs.

"I know, baby girl. I'm so sorry," she tried to comfort her friend, but it was no use as Cat's cries only increased in volume.

"What am I going to do? I'll probably never see him again, Jadey."

Jade's heart broke upon listening to Cat in such distress, and she tried desperately to fight back her own tears. As Cat continued to cry, she nuzzled herself further into Jade's embrace, causing her to lightly rock her inconsolable best friend in an effort to calm her down.

"You'll see him again, Cat. I promise you. And until then, I'll be here for you. You don't have to go through this alone. I won't let you."

Jade was relieved when she saw the slightest of smiles appear on her friend's face, and before she could say anything else was interrupted by Cat's tired voice.

"I love you, Jadey. Thank you- for everything."

Jade gripped her friend even tighter, and laughed softly as Cat tried to stifle a yawn.

"I love you, too, baby girl. Now get some sleep. I won't let you go, I promise," Jade reassured her friend as she pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Cat sighed, seeming content in her friend's arms, and slowly let sleep overcome her.

**~Fix You~**

"I'm here to see Frankie Valentine," an exhausted Beck bit out as he approached the secretary's desk. After hours of not receiving a single call or text from Jade, Beck was frantic. The nurse peered up at the boy with a look of sympathy, causing Beck's stomach to roll. He knew that something was wrong and he was beginning to panic.

"Frankie's gone," she informed the boy, "but I'm assuming you're here for his sister, Cat?"

Beck eagerly nodded. "I've been trying to get a hold of her all day, but she hasn't responded. Do you know where she is?"

"Room 111," she stated, feeling guilty as she watched the color drain from the boy's face.

"Thank you," he mumbled as he took off down the hall. As he approached Cat's room, Beck could make out the sound of faint sniffles coming from inside, causing him to panic. He cautiously stepped inside and looked to the bed, where he saw a sleeping Cat in his girlfriend's arms.

"Jade," he breathed a sigh of relief, crossing over to her. However Jade didn't acknowledge him, but rather continued to watch her friend sleep, nervous for when she would wake up again. A lone tear trailed down her cheek, startling Beck.

"Babe," he soothed as he brushed away the tear, pulling Jade out of her trance.

"Beck," she rasped out, as she finally acknowledged him.

Jade's reaction only made him worry more, afraid of what had happened to the innocent redhead. As he went to pull a chair up next to the bed, he was interrupted by Jade's small voice.

"Will you sit with me?"

Beck smiled at his girlfriend, as he climbed into the bed next to her.

"What happened, Jade? I was worried sick. You just took off out of class, without an explanation, and I couldn't find you. You didn't answer your phone, either. I thought that something bad happened. I thought that Cat-"

"Stop," Jade interrupted, her voice desolate. "Please." The image of her friend, unconscious, was enough to set Jade off. She didn't want to even picture what Beck was hinting at.

"She came to visit Frankie today, that's why she wasn't in class. He was having another episode when she got here; he had two today. They told her that he would be leaving tonight. Apparently it was too much for her to handle, and she just…collapsed," she finished, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Jade," he breathed. "You weren't here when this happened were you?"

"No. I got here right after. It was awful, Beck. She was just lying there, limp, like she was…" she trailed off as the image flooded her mind.

Beck noticed that Jade's bottom lip had begun quivering, and he tried desperately to calm her down. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her close to him and placed a soft, reassuring kiss to her temple.

"She's okay, babe," he tried reassuring her.

Jade nodded, more so in understanding than in agreement.

"But what's going to happen when she wakes up again? As soon as she opens her eyes she starts crying, Beck."

"We'll just take it one step at a time. I'll be here for you both."

Almost as if on cue, Cat began to stir awake in Jade's arms.

"Hey, baby girl," Jade murmured, afraid to startle the girl. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah," she mumbled before being startled by Beck.

"It's okay, Cat. It's just me," he reassured the girl, gently rubbing her arm.

Cat shifted in Jade's arms as she began glancing around the room.

"What's the matter?" Jade asked quietly. The past few times that Cat had woken up, she would look around the room in search for her brother and would dissolve into a fit of tears when she realized that he was gone. Jade didn't know if she could handle it anymore; it hurt too much to see her best friend like that.

"Are my parents still here? I need to see them before they leave." Cat, becoming suddenly alert, leapt out of Jade's arms and started walking out the door.

"Cat!" Jade called after her before flinging herself off of the bed. But it was no use as Cat took off for the waiting room, desperate to find her parents.

Making her way around the corner, she spotted her parents sitting in the room, discussing things over with the doctor. Mrs. Valentine happened to look up as her daughter entered and immediately stood up from her seat to embrace her daughter, heaving a sigh of relief.

"You're okay, sweetheart. Thank God. What are you doing out of your room?"

"I was afraid that you and Dad had already left. I wanted to say goodbye," Cat confessed as she clung to her mother.

"You know that we wouldn't leave without coming and seeing you, Cat," she consoled her daughter.

"Still," Cat argued, "I wanted to see you, now."

"I understand that you wanted to see me and your father, but you shouldn't be running around. You could've hit the call button- we would've been called in. What's more, you probably gave Jade a heart attack running out like that."

"I'm sorry," Cat muttered in defeat, before adding "How long until you leave?"

"In about fifteen minutes, sweetheart," her mother responded.

Cat's face fell. She really didn't want her parents to leave- at all. But, she knew that they needed to be there for her brother to help him get situated. At least they'd return soon.

"And you'll be back in a couple weeks, right?" Cat asked, her voice hopeful. However as she took in the sympathetic look on her mother's face, her heart sank.

"_Right?"_

"Cat," Mr. Valentine sighed while approaching his daughter. "It's going to be longer than a couple of weeks, sweetheart. They want us to stay until Frankie is a hundred percent situated and accustomed to the facility. Besides, it's easier for the patient to heal with help and support from the family."

"How long?" Cat begged, her voice broken.

"It could be anywhere from a month, to a year. I'm so sorry, Cat," Mrs. Valentine's wary voice spoke up.

"Wha-what about me? What am I supposed to do?"

"You'll stay with Nona. I've already talked to her, and she said that she'd be happy to have you stay with her," her mother replied.

Cat mulled over her mother's response, trying to process everything.

_First Frankie leaves, then my parents, and now I'm moving to Venice?_

"I want to stay home," Cat mumbled. "I don't want to leave."

"You'd still go to your school, sweetheart-"

"I don't care about that. Too much is changing, and I don't want to leave home," she stated matter-of-factly, interrupting her mother.

"I'm not going to leave you by yourself, Cat," Mrs. Valentine responded, before adding "not after last time."

"I won't be alone. Jade can stay with me, Mom. Please? I can't leave, I don't want to. It's too much," Cat panicked, on the verge of tears.

Mrs. Valentine heaved a sigh of defeat, already nervous for the well-being of her daughter.

"Fine. I trust that you'll take care of yourself, and if you don't, I know that Jade will."

"Thank you," Cat exclaimed as she threw her arms around her mother.

"You're welcome, baby. I just want you to be happy…and safe," she added before glancing at her watch.

"We have to go home soon, Cat," Mrs. Valentine explained sadly. "We have to do some last-minute packing."

"Soon meaning…"

"Now," her mother sighed, fighting the lump in her throat. "I love you so much, Cat. So, so much. Frankie's going to be okay- he'll get better. I promise. We'll try and keep in touch as much as we can: we'll call whenever possible and we can fly you out to visit when we get the go ahead."

"Cat," Mr. Valentine spoke up, "I'm so proud of you, for the way that you've handled all of this, with everything that's been going on. I'm so sorry for the comments I've made- for making you worry that I didn't love you. Truth is: I love you very much and I don't know what I'd do without my little girl, so thank you for coming and talking to me. You'll be okay, sweetheart."

Both Mr. and Mrs. Valentine embraced their daughter in a warm hug, as Cat tried to maintain her composure.

_Be strong, Cat. Don't let them think that you can't handle being alone._

"I love you, too," Cat whispered, still in the embrace of her parents.

Heaving a shaky sigh, Mrs. Valentine released her daughter and grabbed her husband's hand.

"We'll be home soon, baby. Be safe. And if you ever miss us just give us a call, okay?"

Cat nodded in response as she watched her parents walk out of the waiting room, not knowing the next time that she'd see them. Slowly but surely, Cat made her way back to her room and was startled when she ran into Jade.

"What the hell, Cat?!" Jade fumed. "I don't know if you recall, but you passed out earlier today. You can't be running around like this! If you wouldn't have run off, I was going to tell you that they would be there in a few minutes; I hit the call button."

Cat recoiled at Jade's tone. "I'm sorry," she muttered in a hollow voice, trying desperately to keep the tears at bay.

Noticing Cat's emotionless response, Jade instantly felt guilty.

"Cat, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, but you know you shouldn't have done that. Did you at least get to talk to them?"

"Yup," Cat replied, still without emotion.

"Do you want to talk about anything?" Jade was growing nervous. This was exactly what happened before Cat shut everyone out the last time.

"No," Cat answered coolly as she brushed past her friend and to her room.

She climbed into her bed, ignoring Beck's puzzled looks, and pulled the blankets up to her face.

"Hey," Jade soothed as she approached her friend. "What's wrong, baby girl?" she asked as she pulled down the covers.

"Nothing. I'm exhausted, and I want to sleep."

_Don't let them see you break, Cat. Stay strong._

Taken aback by her blunt response, Jade left Cat's bedside.

"Well," she huffed, "are you going to be okay if we go grab something to eat? We don't want to bother you, if you want to sleep," Jade stated, slightly annoyed.

"Sure," Cat shrugged before turning back over and pulling the blanket up, desperate to conceal her face.

"If you say so," Jade sighed as she dragged Beck out of the room, shutting the door.

Finally being alone for the first time, Cat let down her walls as the sound of her soft sobs filled the empty room.

"I love you, Frankie."


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews! They made me really happy :D Anyways, here's chapter 19! And as always, let me know what you think :) **

Cat was released from the hospital the following morning. She still hadn't uttered more than a single word to neither Beck nor Jade, and they were starting to worry. Jade thought that Cat was doing it out of spite- for when she scolded her the previous day for running around the hospital. Although as frustrated as Jade was, Cat had her reasons. She told Frankie that she would get through this- for him. If she broke down in front of her friends, she knew that she would be letting her brother down. She told him not to feel guilty, but how could he not if he knew that his sister was falling apart at the seams? So, rather than chancing anything, Cat did her best to remain quiet. She knew that it would only last for so long, as it would only be a matter of time before her friends would start to worry. Not only that, but everything was set for Jade to stay at Cat's house, making it increasingly difficult for Cat to maintain her stubborn façade. She knew that Jade would be on her case day in and day out, so it would only be a matter of time before her walls would begin to crumble.

"Well, you're home," Jade huffed as she threw open the front door, causing Cat to jump.

Cat followed Jade into her house and was instantly filled with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Everywhere she looked, she saw her brother. Sure, he had already been gone for a couple of weeks, but he was still close by. Now that he was really gone, it felt different. It never really settled for Cat, either. She knew in the back of her mind that Frankie was gone, but it never really hit her until now.

Cat walked over to the living room, staring at the old pictures of her and her family. Back when they were happy- before her innocence was shattered by the cruel, heartless world that she had come to know. She came across one in particular that was very special to her: a picture taken the day of the Cow-Wow at school, not even months before. She had been so nervous about the dance. It was the first dance for Beck&Jade since they had gotten back together, and Cat was still really protective of Jade: she didn't want her to get hurt again. Not to say that Cat particularly thought that Beck would hurt or leave her again, she was just watching out for her best friend. She was also anxious about seeing Robbie at the dance. When he had asked her she wanted to say yes so badly, but was too nervous at the time. She wanted to impress him- she wanted to get him to notice her. She preferred that it wouldn't have taken a foot to the face to do so, but she couldn't complain. She remembered coming home that night, telling Frankie everything.

_"Frankie! Frankie!" Cat called for her brother as she pedaled up the driveway. Her older brother was sitting on the front porch, as he had received Cat's crazed text message, and was eager to know how the dance went._

_"Cat! Cat!" he mocked, meeting his sister in the driveway. _

_"How did it go? Did you see Robbie?" he asked, his voice playful. _

_"It was…interesting to say the least. Robbie kissed me!" She exclaimed, growing excited as she replayed the kiss in her mind. _

_"Ooooh! My little sis is growing up," he teased._

_Cat scoffed at her brother. "Frankie! Please." But she couldn't fight the smile that spread across her face. _

_"He better not have tried to play pirates with you again, Cat. Otherwise, he's dead to me," her brother stated, growing protective._

_"Oh my God," she muttered in embarrassment. "No. He did _not_ try to play pirates with me. He just kissed me. It was so sweet, and chaste. But I may have freaked out and…rode off," she admitted, hanging her head. _

_Frankie tried to hold back his laughter, but it was no use. _

_"You kissed him, then just…rode off on your bike?" _

_"I was too shocked to say anything! What else was I supposed to do? And, I wouldn't have had to ride my bike if _somebody_ would've just given me a ride like they were supposed to."_

_"Still, I can't believe you rode off on your little pink bike. That must've been quite the sight."_

_Cat joined in on the laughter as she thought about how ridiculous she must have looked. However she stopped laughing, and looked up at her brother._

_"I really like Robbie. I can't believe I just ran off like that; I feel awful. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't want to talk to me again. Now we'll never be a couple."_

_Frankie hugged his sister, still amused at the fact that she actually rode her pink bike to the dance, but suddenly grew serious._

_"Robbie will understand, Cat. I know he will, because any guy would be lucky as hell to be with my sister. He obviously really likes you, or else he wouldn't have kissed you like that. And I can tell that you really like him, too. Just talk to him on Monday, and tell him exactly what you told me. I'm sure he'll understand. And if not, he's a dead man."_

_"Thanks, Frankie. I really like him and, well, kind of want that to happen again. Minus the riding away on a pink bike part, that is," Cat giggled. "And, by the way, that last part was completely unnecessary. But your intentions are good, so I'll give you that."_

_"Anytime, little sis. Anytime. Now, are you ready?"_

_Cat, confused, spoke up. "Um, ready for what?"_

_Without answering, Frankie scooped up his sister and threw her over his shoulder, running towards the house. _

_"Frankie! Where are we going? Stop!" Cat squealed, slightly taken aback. _

_"Inside! I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad about your little kiss," he teased. _

That night was one of Cat's favorite memories with her brother- back before he started becoming ill again. She was happy that, for once, she could bring up Robbie without Frankie becoming all defensive and protective of her. Normally when Cat would bring up Robbie, or any boy for that matter, Frankie would simply tease her about it, tell her they had cooties, and then drop the subject. However that night was the first time that he had actually given her valuable advice about a boy. He made her feel a lot better about fleeing the dance, and definitely cheered her up. She was going to miss that: whenever Cat was even the least bit perturbed, Frankie would be there to calm her down. Now? He was gone.

Cat ran her hand over the picture, smiling at the memory of the dance, not even noticing that Jade was standing behind her.

"Cat?" Jade asked, her voice cautious.

Her friend's voice startled Cat, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Are you okay, Cat?" Jade tried again as she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," she sighed, hoping she sounded convincing.

After taking one last look at the picture, Cat turned away from her friend and made her way to the stairs.

"Bed already? You just woke up an hour ago," Jade teased, trying to brighten Cat's mood. However, it went without success.

"Yeah. I guess I'm still tired," Cat replied as she continued trudging up the stairs, not even bothering to glance back at her friends.

Beck turned to look to his girlfriend, worry written all over his face. He knew she was hurting and he wanted to help, but he didn't want to do so without Cat's permission. Unlike Jade, he knew that when Cat was ready to talk about it, she would. He was afraid that if he pushed the issue, she would grow frustrated and would eventually snap. He didn't want to see that- not at all.

Jade returned the look, also concerned for her best friend.

"We can't let her act like this forever, you know," she stated, slightly annoyed.

"I know, babe," Beck sighed, "but don't you think that we should give her a little space? Let her come to us?"

Jade huffed in response. She knew that Beck was right, but knowing it and admitting it are two entirely different things, and Jade West does not admit defeat.

"When she was staring at that picture," Jade started, "I could swear that I saw her smile, just a tiny bit. I was afraid to say something- afraid that if I did it would be gone as fast as it came. I haven't seen her smile in a long time, Beck. I know it was small, but it was something."

Jade walked over to the couch and plopped down, grabbing a blanket. Beck joined her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close.

"What if she never wants to talk about it, Beck? I'm afraid of what might happen," Jade admitted in a small voice.

Beck understood why Jade was so worried- he was just as worried as she was for their petite friend. But he knew that she would come around eventually.

Hearing the doubt in Jade's normally assertive voice, he pulled his girlfriend closer, holding her tight.

"She'll come around, babe. She probably just needs some time to process everything. I mean, could you blame her? Her whole world was pretty much turned upside down within twenty four hours. Just give her space and she'll be fine."

"I understand that she wants space, but I don't want to give her too much. Not again. I told her that I won't let her push me away this time, and I'll be damned if I break that promise." Jade explained, trying to restore her threatening tone. However, the yawn that escaped her made it hard to do so.

"Cat's not the only one that's tired," Beck quipped.

"Whatever, Beckett," Jade griped, before softening her tone.

"I'm afraid to fall asleep," she confessed. "I don't want to leave her upstairs, all alone."

"She'll be fine, babe," Beck tried to reassure his girlfriend. "I'll go check on her in a half hour or so. But for now you need to sleep. You're obviously exhausted."

"Fine," Jade yawned. "But don't wait longer than that. I want to know that she's okay."

"I promise, Jade. Now sleep, baby," Beck soothed as he began playing with Jade's hair- a sure fire way to mollify the girl. He watched as she succumbed to sleep and began humming softly, effectively pulling her under.

**~Fix You~**

While her friends were fast asleep downstairs, Cat laid wide awake in her bed. No matter how exhausted she was, she was still unable to fall asleep. Everywhere she turned she saw Frankie, and sleep was no exception. So, rather than bothering her friends, Cat tried to occupy herself in her room. She glanced around, trying to find something to keep her busy, when her eyes landed on the growing pile of homework that she had accumulated over the past couple weeks. Knowing that she'd have to do it eventually, she reluctantly dragged herself out of bed and made her way over to her desk, taking a seat. As she began organizing the heaps of homework, trying to clear a somewhat usable study space, she noticed a small piece of paper slip from her stack and gently fall to the floor. Curious, Cat bent down to retrieve it, and gasped slightly when she read it.

_Remember, I'm always here for you_.

"I miss you, Frankie," Cat sighed as she clutched the small slip of paper. "So much."

After finding the note, Cat knew that whatever intentions she had of completing her homework were completely gone by this point. So, setting aside her work, Cat pulled out her pearphone to check for any messages from her parents. Mrs. Valentine had sent her one earlier that morning, explaining that they wouldn't have very much time to call as they helped get Frankie settled in but that they would be checking up on her periodically via text. That was the last message that Cat had received from her mother- four hours ago. Knowing that it was highly unlikely that she would be receiving another message any time soon, Cat shut off her phone- eager to disconnect from the outside world.

She climbed back into the center of her bed, surrounding herself with an array blankets and, most importantly, Mr. Longneck and Mr. Purple. Cat hated that she felt dependent on the stuffed animals, but while holding them she felt comforted almost instantly. The newfound sense of comfort proved to be relaxing for Cat as her eyelids grew heavy, however she continued to resist sleep. She knew that it would be harder to be awake and alone all night than during the day, so she used this as her motive. Thinking things over, Cat stared up at her ceiling- off in her own little world.

_Remember, I'll always be here for you._

"I miss you so much, Frankie," she sniffled while gripping onto Mr. Purple.

_Come on, Cat. Pull yourself together. If Jade walks in and sees you like this, you're screwed,_ she tried to convince herself. She was in no mood for that conversation, and she didn't want to make her friends worry any more than they already have.

She tried to put the note in the back of her mind, however it was no use. No matter what she did to try and distract herself from it, she was always brought right back. With a defeated sigh, Cat slipped out of her bed, anxious to see what her friends were up to. Even though Cat was growing lonely, she hoped that they were asleep- she didn't want to deal with any confrontation. Not today. Cat crept out of her room and down the stairs where she found Beck and Jade fast asleep on the couch, causing a sense of relief to wash over her body. It had been an hour since they returned home, and she silently hoped that they would remain asleep for at least another hour more.

Cat was pulled out of her thoughts by the loud rumbling of her stomach. She quietly made her way into the kitchen, eager to relieve her hunger. As she began rummaging through the fridge in search of food, she noticed a plate set aside with a note on it.

_Cat, _

_I figured that you'd like to come home to a home-cooked meal, so I made you some strawberry waffles. I know they're your favorite, and it was the least I could do for my baby before we had to leave. I hope you enjoy them, sweetheart. Love, Mom. _

The small gesture made Cat smile. Her mother was right: Cat figured that since her parents were gone, there would be a lot of take out in her near future and so was delighted upon finding the plate of food. She grabbed the plate from the fridge, along with a bottle of water, and checked to make sure that her friends were still sound asleep. Much to Cat's relief, she hadn't woken anyone up during her quest for food. However as Cat was about to retreat up the stairs to her room, Jade began stirring in her sleep, mumbling incoherently. Cat, too afraid to move, stood completely still, straining to hear what her friend was saying.

"I love you, too, Beck," Jade mumbled as she fidgeted in her boyfriend's arms.

Cat smiled at her friend in her innocent state. Jade had a tendency to sleep talk, much to her dismay, and it was then that her walls would come down. Although it was sweet, Cat had to hold back laughter as she continued to listen to her friend's gibberish. However her mumbling seemed to pull Beck out of his slumber as he, too, began to stir awake.

"Crap," Cat muttered as she quickly slipped out the back door and into the backyard.

_That was way too close. I don't want to deal with this right now. _

Heaving a sigh, Cat sat down with her food on the porch swing. It was surprisingly a nice day out- there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Tossing her head back, she reveled in the heat of the sun, letting it warm every ounce of her body. It was nice to be outside: ever since Frankie was first admitted to the hospital she had pretty much kept inside all day. What's more, the fresh air had a somewhat relaxing effect on the redhead, allowing for her to finally think things over. As she began picking at her food, she thought of her last conversation with her brother.

_ "You don't have to be strong for everyone else."_

_But I do. I know I said that I was only staying strong for you, but I don't want them to see how I really feel._

_"If you try and please everyone but yourself, you're going to end up hurt."_

_And if let them know how I really feel, they'll end up getting hurt._

"No matter what I do, someone's going to end up getting hurt," Cat cried as she placed her head in her hands, a lone tear trailing down her cheek.

"Beck! You said you would check on her in a half hour! It's been an hour and half!" Jade's voice could be heard from inside the living room.

Cat scoffed at her friend's comment. "What am I, a baby? I can be alone for a half hour."

"She's probably still asleep, babe. But if it makes you feel better, I'll go and check on her, okay?"

Cat's head snapped up as Beck left the room, and she turned around on the swing to peer through the open window. "This is going to go over well."

"Cat?" She could hear Beck calling her name from upstairs.

"She's not going to answer if she's asleep, Beck," Jade stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah…" he trailed off as he descended the stairs, a nervous look present on his face.

Before Jade could continue to scold her boyfriend for leaving Cat alone for so long, her friend entered through the patio door and into the living room.

"I thought you said you were going to sleep, Cat," Jade interrogated the girl.

Cat shrugged. "Thought about it."

"Did you even _try_ to sleep?"

"Yeah. But I figured that if I slept now, I'd be up all night."

Although Jade was expecting more of an explanation from her friend, she couldn't argue with Cat's response. She knew that, come nighttime, it would be harder for Cat to sleep. She'd been worried about it since leaving the hospital- worried about a repeat of the nightmare.

Jade let out a sigh before approaching her friend.

"If something's bothering you, you would tell me, right?" she asked softly.

_Dammit._

Cat merely nodded, bracing herself for Jade's response.

"Then why won't you?"

Cat flinched at the pain in her friend's voice, but still remained silent.

"I'm here to help you, Cat. But I can't do that if you won't let me."

Cat tried to avert her eyes from Jade's stare, however Jade placed a finger under her chin, forcing Cat to make eye contact. Jade stared intently into her friend's eyes, as if she were searching for an answer. Something about Jade's stare moved something in Cat and she bit her lip in an effort to keep it from quivering. However what Cat hadn't noticed was the lone tear that made its way down her cheek.

"Cat," Jade breathed, wiping away the traitor tear. A few more tears escaped Cat's eyes, before she quickly wiped them away.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, her voice thick.

"For what, Cat? You're clearly hurting. It's okay to cry," Jade assured her friend.

Cat nodded, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"How do I even have any tears left?" She questioned, chuckling lightly.

Jade embraced her friend in a warm hug, laughing lightly as she began rubbing small circles on Cat's back.

"I want you to tell me if you're hurting, Cat. I don't want you to hide anything, okay?"

"Uh-huh," she hiccupped, causing both girls to giggle.

Cat pulled away from her friend's embrace, before turning towards the stairs. But before anyone could question her action, she announced "I'm going to bed," then looked at Jade before adding, "For real this time."

Jade looked nervously at her friend. After almost breaking down, Jade was afraid to leave Cat alone.

"Do you want me to come lay with you?" Jade asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Please," Cat begged.

Jade looked to Beck, silently asking him if he'd be alright alone for a little bit. He nodded at his girlfriend, giving her an encouraging smile. "I'll be fine, babe."

Jade quickly ran up the stairs after Cat and into her room, before turning to her friend.

"Do you want to talk about anything?"

Cat shook her head as she climbed into her bed. "No."

Jade climbed in next to Cat, who had turned over on her side and away from Jade.

"Hey," she murmured, trying to get Cat's attention. However she was only greeted by the sound of Cat's sniffles. Jade wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling her close.

"It's okay, baby girl. I'm here," she soothed as she began stroking Cat's hair. Cat nodded in acknowledgement before burying her face into her friend's shoulder, relishing the sense of comfort that came with it. Jade continued to hold her friend, singing softly in hopes of lulling the girl to sleep. Within minutes, Cat was out. Jade smiled as she watched her friend peacefully sleeping, and carefully placed a tender kiss to her forehead as she continued to hold her.

"Sweet dreams, baby girl."


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks for all your feedback! :D Here's chapter 20, let me know what you think! :)**

Ever since Cat's near breakdown, her friends were walking on eggshells; they were afraid of saying any little thing that might set her off. Cat caught on to this fairly quickly and instantly felt guilty for her friends' action. She hadn't even broken down completely, yet her friends were already growing anxious. At first Cat found it comforting, as Jade was no longer pressuring her to talk to them. Now it was irritating, as they eventually stopped making regular conversation with her as well. She berated herself for almost coming apart at the seams the night that she returned from the hospital, especially because Jade wouldn't forget it. No matter how much Cat tried to convince her that she was fine, Jade would always know better, because of that night.

It was a rather quiet Friday night as Cat sat at her desk, working feverishly on her increasing amount of homework. Even though she was growing frustrated that her friends were nervous to approach her, it did have its perks: over the course of a few days, Cat had successfully been able to complete a week and half's worth of homework and was finally starting to catch up in her classes. For that, she was grateful as it was one less problem that she had to deal with. However she could only hope that the left-over homework would be enough to last her until the moment that Beck and Jade let down their guards. She felt as if she would die of boredom otherwise.

A few assignments later, Cat could hear the front door ease shut and she knew that Jade was home with dinner. Just like she had anticipated, there had been a lot of nights filled with take-out dinners. Cat insisted that she could at least cook spaghetti, something simple, but Jade refused. She told Cat that it was because she couldn't trust her in the kitchen, alone, but truthfully Jade would feel guilty as she already was a guest in Cat's house. Cat was growing suspicious, however Jade assured her that it was no problem- that it was the least that she could do.

Rather than meeting her friend downstairs, Cat remained seated at her desk as she was desperately trying to finish the last few assignments for the night. Normally, if not under the same circumstances, Jade's voice would have filled the house as she yelled for her friend to come and grab dinner. However, she had finally given in to Beck's requests to give their friend space and she knew that Cat would come down when she was ready.

As Cat scribbled out her last calculus problem, her stomach began growling incessantly. Deciding that it would be a decent time to take a break, Cat padded down the stairs and into the kitchen, where she was greeted by several takeout boxes. She grimaced while scooping out a small serving of noodles; she knew that Jade was only trying to help, but it was now the third time that week that they'd eaten Chinese. After grabbing a Wahoo Punch from the fridge she carefully sat down at the table, across from Jade, who barely acknowledged Cat's presence.

The silence that lingered in the room was almost suffocating and Cat was desperate to break it. She knew that it was highly unlikely that Jade would be the first to speak up, so Cat decided to break the tension.

"How was school?" she asked, seeming genuinely interested in her friend's day.

Jade slowly looked up at Cat, cautiously searching her face for any signs of a breakdown. Upon finding none, Jade replied, "Boring. I brought home your homework, too. I'll grab it after dinner."

Cat merely nodded, irritated at Jade's short response.

_Oh my God. What about schoolwork is going to set me off?_

"Good thing I've been doing homework all day," Cat mumbled sarcastically, hoping that Jade would hear her. However her attempt went without success.

"Thanks for dinner, Jadey," Cat tried again, still not earning a response.

Desperate to get her friend's attention, Cat spoke up again.

"I'm glad you got so much food. I haven't eaten anything all day." Cat watched as Jade's head snapped up. She knew that that would finally get her attention, however she felt guilty upon seeing the worried look on her friend's face.

"You haven't eaten since last night?!"

_Smooth move, Cat._

Cat instantly recoiled at Jade's tone, knowing that she probably shouldn't have brought it up. Her action was misconstrued and Jade instantly felt guilty, afraid that Cat would burst into tears.

"Cat, I'm sorry. But seriously? We've been over this: you have to eat _something._"

"I guess I just got caught up in my homework. That's all," she reassured her friend, hoping to calm her down. And, just to prove to Jade that she wasn't purposely not eating, she got up from her seat and dished herself an extra helping of noodles.

As she sat back down, she noticed Jade staring down at the table, pushing the noodles around her plate.

"You have to eat _something_," Cat mocked, trying to brighten her friend's mood, but Jade didn't respond. Cat finally took the hint and stopped trying to make small talk with the stoic girl.

The rest of dinner was painfully quiet, as the only sounds that filled the room were those of scraping silverware. It had been twenty minutes since either girl had spoken and Cat had had it.

"Dammit, Jade," she exclaimed as she slammed her fist down on the table. Jade instantly looked up at her friend, a mix of confusion and worry spread across her face.

"I can't take this anymore!"

Jade closed her eyes, bracing herself for the breach of the flood gates. This was what she had been trying to avoid all along.

"You don't have to be so guarded, Jade. It's driving me _crazy._ I can see trying not to bring up Frankie or any of that, but my God! What the hell about school would set me off?"

Jade was completely taken aback by Cat's outburst, never mind the rare profanity. She knew Cat was right, but she was still worried about her.

"Cat," she began, her voice cautious.

"I'm fine! You don't have to stop talking to me altogether just because you're afraid that I'll get upset, because I won't. I'm f-"

"Cat, I swear to God if you say 'I'm fine' one more time…" Jade threatened, her voice dangerously low.

"But I am!"

"No you're not," Jade scoffed.

"Obviously I am, or else I wouldn't have been able to stay by myself all day."

"That's because you had homework to keep you occupied. What would you have done if you had nothing else to do?"

Cat's lack of response was enough to let Jade know that she had won.

"Thought so," she mumbled under her breath.

"But I did have something to do," Cat muttered angrily.

Jade dropped her fork onto her plate, clearly aggravated.

"You and I both know what happened the night that you came home from the hospital. There's no denying it, and if you do, I can call Beck and have _him_ tell you how worried we were."

"That was almost a week ago. Things could've changed," Cat retorted matter-of-factly.

"But they didn't, Cat! You can't honestly sit here and tell me that you're alright, because it'd be a lie. What happened to telling me if you were hurting? What happened to not trying to push me away?"

"So maybe I'm not alright! Maybe I _am _hurting! But I can't sit and cry about it all day; it's not going to get me anywhere. By the way, I'm not pushing you away. If you haven't noticed, I've been trying to talk to you all week."

The hurt in Cat's voice caused Jade to flinch. She knew that Cat was right: it had been Jade that was pushing Cat away. Although it was unintentional, it still happened and it was hurting her friend.

"I'm sorry, Cat," Jade apologized, desperately trying to calm her down.

Cat brushed off the apology as she stood up from the table and took her dishes to the sink.

"Where are you going?" Jade asked, nervous for the emotional outburst that was about to follow.

"To finish my homework," Cat replied coolly, brushing past her friend. Jade placed a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulder, successfully stopping Cat in her tracks.

"What happened to telling me if you're hurting?" she asked again.

Cat inhaled a shaky breath as she closed her eyes, afraid to let her friend in.

"Cat, what-"

"Fine! I'm hurting, Jade! I miss my brother, I miss my parents, I miss my old life, and I miss how we used to be before any of this shit happened. It kills me to wake up and not get to see my family every day, absolutely kills me. I feel alone, I feel helpless, I feel like I'm letting you down because I'm afraid to show you how hurt I really am, and I'm afraid of letting Frankie down by breaking down," Cat bit out, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Well, there. Was that what you wanted? Or should I keep going."

Jade was utterly gob smacked by Cat's response. She had no idea about any of it, and truthfully was a little frightened by Cat's dangerously sarcastic tone.

"Please," Jade begged, trying to console her friend.

"Please, what? I did what you wanted me to; I told you how I feel. Was this worth it? Was this the outburst that you and Beck have been trying to avoid? Because you did a great job," Cat cried as she turned away from her friend, stomping up the stairs before she slammed her bedroom door.

Jade stood, frozen, in the middle of the dining room. At this point, she didn't know what she could say to Cat to express how sorry she was. She knew that Cat wouldn't let this go and, honestly, Jade couldn't blame her. Knowing that her and Cat both could use a minute to cool down, Jade crossed over into the living room and plopped down on the couch.

_I feel alone, I feel helpless._

_I'm afraid to show you how hurt I really am, and I'm afraid of letting Frankie down by breaking down._

"How many times do I have to tell her that she's not alone?" Jade's pained words broke the silence.

"I need to talk to her. Now."

Jade flung herself off of the couch as she made her way up to Cat's room.

"Cat, can you please open up? We need to talk," she begged as she rapped on the door. However she was met without a response.

"I'm so sorry, Cat. I didn't want to see that happen, either. Can you please open your door so we can talk?" Jade tried again, her voice rising with worry.

Still nothing.

"Cat, if you don't open this door you know damn well I'll kick it down."

Jade let out a frustrated sigh and as she was about to bust down the door she could hear Cat's faint voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Mommy, please pick up. I need you," Cat's voice broke as she held back her tears.

Her heart shattered upon hearing the vulnerability in Cat's voice. She knew that she needed to get to her, and fast.

Jade pulled out her phone, deciding that if Cat wouldn't come to the door, this would be her last resort.

_Cat, please open your door. I need to talk to you._

However instead of getting a response back, Jade could hear Cat's short reply from inside the other room.

"No."

Figuring that she had her attention, Jade tried speaking to her again.

"Please, baby girl."

"And if I don't?" she replied coolly.

"Let's just say that you better not be on the other side of this door, because we both know what I'm capable of."

"Fine. There's a key on top of the doorframe."

Jade quickly brushed her hand across the doorframe, grabbing the key, and shoved it into the door before whipping it open. She crossed into the completely dark room, scanning it for any signs of Cat.

"Cat?"

"In my bed," she mumbled in defeat.

Jade stumbled over to Cat's bed and placed her hand on the mound of blankets, trying not to startle her.

"Cat, I'm so sorry. For everything. I thought that if I gave you space, you would come to me when you were ready; I thought it would help prevent a meltdown, not cause it."

Cat remained silent, buried in the comfort of her bed. Jade continued, hopeful that she was listening.

"I shouldn't have forced it out of you either. I was wrong to do that- it only made things worse. I didn't want to see you hit your breaking point, and I sure as hell didn't want to be the one that caused it."

Still nothing.

"Please, Cat," Jade begged as she gently began patting the blankets.

Cat reluctantly threw the covers back, letting out an elongated sigh of frustration. She had intended to maintain her stubborn façade, however as soon as Jade's eyes bore into hers the walls came crumbling down.

"Why'd you have to yell at me, Jadey?" Cat's broken voice cried out.

"I didn't mean to, Cat. I promise. I just-"

_I feel alone, I feel helpless._

"Why do you feel alone? Why are you afraid to let me know if you're hurting, Cat?"

"I promised Frankie that I would be strong. What kind of sister would I be, making him feel guilty, if he knew how broken I am? Or worse, saw it? What you just saw downstairs, that's what I've been trying to avoid. I don't want him to feel bad, Jadey. It's not his fault," Cat cried as she pulled her knees to her chest.

"Hey," Jade murmured. "You don't have to be strong, Cat. It has its repercussions, as you just saw. I know that Frankie would rather know that you're hurting now than when it's too late. And truthfully, so would I."

"I just didn't know what to do: I promised you that I would tell you if and when I was upset, and I also promised my brother that I would stay strong, for him."

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?"

"How could I? I didn't want you to think that I was being stubborn again, which apparently you were thinking anyway," Cat muttered, staring off into space.

Jade flinched at Cat's words as the scene replayed in her mind. Cat, not expecting an answer from her friend, continued.

"You were right: if I wouldn't have been occupied with homework all day, I don't know what I would've done. As soon as you left this morning, and I realized that I was truly alone, I couldn't take it. I was so lonely, Jadey."

"Cat," she sighed, wrapping her arms around her friend. "I can stay home if you want me to. I don't want you to be alone if you feel that way."

"That's not fair to you. I can't just ask you to stay home with me because I'm upset. The last time that happened, you were so far behind; I was selfish."

"I offered to stay with you last time, Cat. So don't think that you're being selfish, because you're not. If anything, I'm being selfish by not staying with you. I can talk to Lane- see if I can stay with you until you feel ready to go back to school. He knows what's going on; I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Jade offered.

Cat nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"Everything reminds me of him," Cat whispered into the darkness. "The pictures, the Wahoo Punch in the fridge. I walked by his room…" her voice broke. "When I was doing homework, I found a note that he left me a few weeks ago and I thought I was going to lose it. It's so hard, Jade. I just want him to come home."

"I know you do," Jade soothed as she gripped her friend even tighter. It was unbearable to see her best friend so upset; she didn't know how much more of this she could take.

"It's almost suffocating," Cat continued. "All of this. I know that it's not good to run from your problems, but running away sure seems like a hell of a good idea right now. Just to get away from everything- to forget."

"I won't let you do that, Cat. I'm not going to let you go, and I don't want to lose you," Jade demanded as she tried to keep her own emotions in check.

Cat sat in silence, not sure of how to respond to her friend. Jade grew worried by the sudden silence and looked down at her friend, noticing the fresh trail of tears streaming down Cat's face.

"Cat?! What's wrong?" Jade was frantic at the new onset of tears, and was unprepared for what she was about to hear.

"I…I…I can't tell you." Cat stammered, praying to God that Jade would drop it.

"Yes you can. Please."

"I don't want to hurt you again; I can't."

"You won't hurt me, Cat. Please, just tell me what's wrong," Jade begged.

"I've been thinking about it again, Jadey," she confessed, almost inaudibly.

Jade instantly froze as she tried to process what Cat had just told her.

"No you haven't. You promised that you wouldn't!" Jade cried as she clung to her friend. "Please tell me you're joking, Cat."

However she was silent, heartbroken by Jade's reaction.

"CAT!"

Cat flinched at the agony in her friend's voice, and she felt extremely guilty knowing that she caused her so much pain.

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't say that! That means that you're giving up, and I won't let you. I'm not going to lose you this time," Jade sobbed, then suddenly shot up from her position on the bed.

"When, Cat? When did this happen?"

Cat looked into her friend's eyes and Jade knew the answer before it left Cat's lips.

Jade sank to the floor, burying her face in her hands. "I'm never going to leave you again. You're never leaving my sight."

"Jadey," Cat's voice broke as she walked over to her friend. "I can't help it. I've tried to think about anything else, but I can't shake the thought. I've tried so hard to get it to go away; I don't want to leave you," she cried as she sat down next to her friend. As soon as Cat was within reach, Jade pulled her close, holding her tight.

"Why, baby girl? Why?"

"It's so hard," Cat bit out as she clung to her friend.

"That doesn't mean you give up, Cat!" Jade was fuming by this point, and it took all that she had to try and control her anger.

"I'm sorry, Jadey," Cat cried as she backed away from her friend.

"If you were really sorry, you wouldn't have thought about it," Jade snapped, her voice dripping with venom.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you! I knew this is how you would react," Cat retorted as she stormed out of her room.

"How did you think I'd react? 'Oh, Cat, it's no big fucking deal?'"

"Jade," Cat's voice quivered as she turned to look at her friend.

"You're wrong, Cat. It _is _a big deal!"

"I never said that it wasn't! It's not something that would come up in everyday conversation: 'Thanks for dinner, Jade. By the way, I'm still suicidal.'" Cat snapped back, as she ran down the stairs.

"You know that's not what I meant."

Cat remained silent, not sure of how to respond to Jade's comment, but instead walked to the closet and threw on a pair of shoes. Jade panicked, knowing what was about to happen.

"Cat? What are you doing, where are you going?"

"Out." She snapped.

"The hell you are. After what you just told me? You're not leaving."

"I need to be alone. I need to think." Cat retorted as she grabbed the door handle.

"Please," Jade choked out, her voice raw.

"Why? Why would I want to stay here? You got what you wanted: you knew I was hurting, and you couldn't wait for me to prove you right."

Jade looked at her friend, her eyes reflecting the pain in Cat's voice.

"How could you think that?" she asked incredulously. "Why would I want to see you break?"

"How could I not think that?" Cat challenged, noticing the hurt flash across Jade's face. "You always have to be right. Why is this any different?"

"Do you think I wanted to be right about this, Cat? Do you honestly think I took pride in watching you fall apart, in hearing you tell me that you're…"

"_Suicidal_," Cat finished nonchalantly.

Jade heaved, hearing the word casually roll off her friend's tongue. It was the first time that Cat had openly associated herself with that term, and her careless attitude towards it truly frightened Jade.

A hint of guilt flashed across Cat's face as she watched Jade's reaction.

"Baby girl, please," Jade cried, knowing that Cat's mind was already made up. "Don't leave. I can't lose you."

Cat stood hesitant in the doorway, but just as Jade thought she was going to come back inside, she whispered a broken "Goodbye, Jadey," before darting out the door, leaving it wide open.

Jade remained in the doorway, too shocked to even comprehend what just happened, let alone to react. Realizing that Cat really was gone, Jade took off after her, desperate to find her.

"CAT! Please don't do this!"

However as she turned the corner, Cat disappeared. Jade collapsed to the ground in defeat, feeling numb. She couldn't believe that she let Cat get away and if something bad were to happen to her, she would never forgive herself. She knew that she wouldn't be able to find Cat alone, so she reached a shaky hand into her pocket to pull out her phone. After fumbling her phone several times she was successfully able to call Beck and sat waiting for him to pick up, but was sent to his voicemail.

"Beck….Cat…." she choked out before ending the call and dropping her phone.

Jade remained in that position for what felt like hours, a steady stream of tears rolling down her face. She didn't know what was taking Beck so long, but every second that she was alone felt like an hour of pure torture. All of a sudden her phone lit up with a message from Beck.

_The door's wide open, and you're not inside. Where are you guys?_

Jade tried to reply to the message, however her shaking hands prevented her from doing so. She hoped that Beck would come find her, because there was no way in hell that she would be able to go to him.

"Jade? Cat?" She could hear Beck's frantic voice calling for them. At the mention of Cat's name, a new wave of loud sobs wracked Jade's body.

"Ja-" Beck started to call out, but was interrupted by the sound of his girlfriend's crying.

Eager to get to Jade, Beck took off around the corner, frantically searching the street. It didn't take long for him to find her and when he did, he immediately scooped her up, holding her close to his chest.

"Hey," he murmured, "what's wrong, babe?"

Jade looked up into Beck's concerned eyes, reflecting the pain that was etched into her features. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but couldn't.

A wave of realization washed over Beck as he started to piece everything together.

"Where's Cat?"

Jade's bottom lip began quivering as she turned her head away from her boyfriend. How was she supposed to tell him what happened?

"What happened, Jade?" he pleaded, trying to keep calm for his girlfriend.

"Cat's gone," she wailed as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

Beck felt as if he might be sick. Out of all of the things that he was expecting to come out of Jade's mouth, that definitely wasn't one of them.

He didn't know what to say to try to comfort Jade. What could he say? He knew that everything wasn't going to be alright, so what was the point of lying?

He gripped onto her tighter as she wrapped her arms around his neck, relishing the comfort of his embrace. Having a good hold on his girlfriend, he made his way back around the corner and to Cat's house. As they entered the house he tried to set her down, but Jade clung onto him even tighter, whimpering in protest. He carefully slid off his shoes before carrying Jade over to the couch, where he laid with her.

"Baby," his voice broke, "what happened? What do you mean she's gone?"

"She finally snapped, Beck," Jade whispered. "She snapped, and it's all my fault."

Beck's heart broke when he heard the agony and guilt in his girlfriend's voice. He knew that what happened must've been terrible, but he was afraid to ask.

"We gave her too much space. We were afraid of saying something to set her off and by saying nothing at all, it drove her crazy."

Beck couldn't help but feel responsible for what had happened. After all, it had been him that promised Jade that if they gave Cat space, she would come to them when she was ready to talk.

"I asked her what happened to telling me if she was hurting, and she snapped. She said that she misses her family, her old life, how we used to be before this shit happened. She feels alone and helpless. She…" Jade tried to explain what had happened to Beck, however she couldn't continue.

"Jade," Beck sighed as he pulled her closer. "I'm so sorry, baby. Is there more?"

Jade slowly nodded as she tried to control her emotions.

"She was yelling, saying 'is this what you wanted? Is this the meltdown that you and Beck have been trying to avoid? Because you did such a great job,' and she ran to her room. I followed her up there and apologized, and when she finally opened up, she told me that she wanted to run away."

"Is that what happened?" Beck asked through his tears, praying to God that that was the extent of it. When Jade shook her head in response, he felt the room starting to spin, fearing the worst.

"I told her that I wouldn't let her leave, and she started crying even harder. It scared the shit out of me, and when I asked her what was wrong, she…she…"

"Please," Beck encouraged, desperate to know the fate of the petite redhead.

"She told me that she's suicidal, Beck," Jade wailed as she pressed her face into her boyfriend's chest. "She told me that she would never do this again! She promised! She fucking promised!" Jade's anguished screams filled the room, startling Beck.

"Shhh, Jade. Please calm down, babe," he soothed, desperate to subdue her.

"How can I calm down?! She told me that when I leave for school in the morning, she feels so alone. She said that's when she starts to think like that. It's my fault! I shouldn't be leaving her. I knew that she was hurting, yet I continued to leave her."

"She didn't…" Beck trailed off, not wanting to imagine his friend dead.

"No," Jade sobbed. "We ended up yelling at each other and she ran off. She said that she needed some time to herself, some time to think. I tried running after her, Beck, but I lost her. I fucking lost her, and now I might not ever see her again."

"Hey, it's going to be alright. She's going to come home soon, I promise you. We'll just give her time to cool down, think things over, and then we'll find her. Alright, babe?"

"No. The longer that she's alone, the less of a chance that we'll find her…alive," Jade choked out. "How do we know that's not what she was going to do, Beck? What if that was her plan all along?" Jade's voice rose with hysteria.

Beck instantly flew off the couch, leaving Jade alone as he ran to grab his keys.

"Let's go," he demanded as he turned to his girlfriend.

Jade eagerly nodded before flinging herself off of the couch, stumbling as she quickly made her way to the front door. As she reached for the handle she was stopped by Beck, who wrapped a protective arm around her waist, bringing her close to him. Jade, however, was not pleased by his action and tried desperately to escape his grip.

"Beck, we have to go. Now," she ordered as she wriggled out of his grip and opened the door.

"Jade," he spoke up cautiously, trying to get her attention.

"We have to find her before it's too late; she could be anywhere."

"Jade," he tried again.

Jade was growing impatient as Beck continued to stay put, not moving an inch.

"Fine, I'll go by myself," she mumbled under her breath as she walked out the door.

"Jadelyn," he called out, gaining her full attention. Beck knew that she hated it when he called her by her full name, so he wasn't surprised when she turned around to face him.

She looked furious at first, angered by Beck's lack of urgency. However as Beck's concerned eyes bore into hers, her anger immediately dissolved into tears.

Beck quickly made his way to his girlfriend, wrapping her in his tight embrace.

"Hey, we'll find her babe," he tried reassuring her, however the break in his voice made it seem less convincing.

Jade simply nodded against Beck's chest as she clung onto him, feeling the tiniest bit of relief.

"She'll be home safe before we know it," he soothed as he placed a tender kiss to her temple, before asking, "You ready?"

Jade didn't need to be asked twice, as she practically ran to Beck's car. Beck slid into the driver's seat beside her before lacing his hand in hers, causing the slightest of smiles to appear on Jade's face.

"We're going to find her, Jade," he reassured her in an urgent tone. Jade solemnly nodded before turning her attention out her window, silently praying to God that they would find her baby girl.


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you guy so much for the reviews :D I was really nervous about that last chapter, so I'm glad that it got such positive feedback :D Anyway, here's chapter 21!**

Cat's chest ached as she sped down the road; she had been running for what felt like hours, desperate to get away. Not once did she look back, either. She knew that she shouldn't have done that to her best friend, especially after her confession, but she was hurting: she was upset by Jade yelling, by her friends' overly cautious actions, and she was devastated that her family was gone. When she told Jade that running away seemed like a good idea, she knew that she would go through with it, but she had no idea when it would happen; neither girl did.

As Cat made her way around a corner, she felt extremely winded. She knew that she needed to take a break, or else worse things would happen: she didn't want her friends to receive any calls from the hospital, not after what she had just told Jade. Bending down to catch her breath, Cat pulled out her phone to check the time. She had been running for a little over an hour, which if she kept a steady pace, would put her 6 miles south of her house. At first, Cat was terrified: she had no idea where she was, and it was a late Friday night in Los Angeles. However as she continued walking, she recognized a familiar, small clearing hidden in the trees. It was here that she had spent most of her days after her brother left for New Jersey, and it brought a certain sense of comfort to the redhead.

Carefully parting through the brush, she stepped into the clearing and collapsed: exhaustion filling her every sense.

_Finally, I can breathe._

She took in the fresh air, enjoying the calming sensation as it filled her lungs. However as she began to reflect on what she had done, she grew panicked.

"What have you done, Cat?" she whispered into the eerie night.

_I can't believe I did that to Jadey. She didn't deserve that, especially after what I told her._

_But why did she yell at me? She said she didn't want to be the reason that I broke down. _

"Could've fooled me," Cat angrily spat out.

Cat closed her eyes, allowing an unsettling wave of grief to wash over her as the tears started to fall. Not only did she feel incredibly guilty for what she had done, but she had no idea how the hell she was going to get back. Sure she could try and backtrack, but she had no recollection of how she had gotten there; it was a completely subconscious decision. Accepting her fate, she slowly drifted off into an unnerving sleep, praying to God that she would be alright.

~**Fix You~**

Beck tightly clenched the steering wheel as he continued to peer over at Jade. She had been quiet the entire ride so far, finding the silence somewhat peaceful. Beck, however, found it extremely suffocating and tried everything he could to alleviate the tension it brought with it, but Jade still failed to respond. They had been driving around for about an hour, checking every place that they could think of for Cat, but without success. With each place that they looked, Jade became increasingly worried, knowing that she would never see her best friend again.

_I did what you wanted me to; I told you how I feel. Was this worth it? Was this the outburst that you and Beck have been trying to avoid? Because you did a great job._

Jade flinched, remembering the pain behind her friend's voice: pain that she had caused. She pulled her feet up onto the seat and placed her head in her lap as she tried to calm herself down, however to no avail.

"This is all my fault."

"What was that, babe?" Beck spoke up as he took her hand in his.

"This is all my fault," she repeated in a broken, empty voice.

"Jade, you know this isn't your fault," he tried to reassure her, only making her more upset.

"You're so full of shit," she snapped as her voice began to rise. "I was the one that yelled at her, I was the one that backed her into a corner, and I'm the one that can't help her. I know it's my fault-you know it's my fault-so don't fucking lie to me!"

"Jade," Beck sighed, trying to keep calm, "it's not something that I could've stopped either. No one could've."

"_I_ could have!" she yelled, startling Beck. "After she told me what she did, I shouldn't have let her go; I should've held her tight, let her know that everything would be okay."

"Babe-"

"No! I could've stopped it, if I wouldn't have forced it out of her- if I wouldn't have yelled at her.

"But I _couldn't_ help her," Jade admitted in a hushed whisper. "I promised that I would fix her, but I couldn't. She's probably dead because of me."

"Jade, you know that's not true; Cat wouldn't do that."

"That's what I thought, until tonight. She promised, Beck. She fucking promised!" Jade began to yell, hitting her breaking point.

"She told me that she would never do that again, and look what happened! Why am I not enough?!"

Tears sprung to Beck's eyes as he watched his girlfriend unravel. It was painful for him to see her like this, and he desperately wanted to set her free of her guilt. Carefully pulling over, Beck turned off the car and turned towards Jade.

"Beck, why are we stopped? We can't stop!" Jade began panicking as she tried to grab the keys from Beck's hand.

"Jade-"

"No! I've already come close to losing her once, and I'll be damned if you're the reason that I lose her this time!" Jade angrily spat as she continued fighting Beck for the keys.

"Jade, listen to me," Beck tried again.

"Fine! If you won't give me the damn keys, I'll just walk until I find her," she threatened as she went to open the door.

"Jade!" Beck yelled, startling Jade and getting her attention. "Jade, look at me," his voice broke, terrified by the current state of his girlfriend.

Beck wiped away the tears that began to make their way down Jade's cheek, and she crumbled under his touch.

"Beck, I-I'm sorry," she stammered as the tears came faster.

"Hey, come here," Beck soothed as he gently brought Jade into his lap.

"I didn't mean it," she cried as she curled up in Beck's embrace.

"It's alright, babe. I know you're hurting, I know you're scared. I'm not mad, I promise," he reassured her as he brushed the hair out of her face.

Jade nodded, still feeling terrible for snapping at Beck.

"Why am I not enough?" she feebly spoke up.

Beck's breath hitched in his throat, his heart breaking at the vulnerability that was present in Jade's voice. He gripped onto her tighter, trying his best to calm her down.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I really don't know."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes as Beck listened to his girlfriend cry, terrified for the well-being of her best friend.

"Why haven't we found her yet?" she spoke up after a few more minutes. "She wasn't at the ice cream shop, Hollywood Arts, her Nona's, or the park. Where else could she be?"

"I don't know, babe. But I sure wish I did," Beck soothed as he ran his hand through her hair, trying to prevent another breakdown.

As if remembering something, Jade's head suddenly snapped up.

"Jade? What is it?" Beck asked, startled by his girlfriend's action.

"Cat: I know where she is," she answered as she slid back into her seat. "Start the car."

Beck's eyes lit up at Jade's statement and he fumbled for his car keys, desperate to get to their friend.

**~Fix You~**

Cat awoke with a start to the sound of her pearphone several hours later. She figured that it was Beck or Jade, but she didn't want to talk to either one of them. Not yet. Half asleep, she accepted the call with a groggy "Hello?"

"Cat, honey?" Mrs. Valentine's voice could be heard on the other end.

"Mom?" Cat clarified, the sleep evident in her voice.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up, sleeping beauty," her mother teased. "I can call back later, if you want?"

Cat suddenly snapped out of her stupor, realizing that her mother really was speaking with her.

"No! It's fine, I can talk now."

"So," she started, "how's Frankie? Is he alright? Can I talk to him?"

Mrs. Valentine chuckled at Cat's torrent of questions before responding.

"He's doing well; better than expected. He hasn't had another episode since that night, and he seems to be adjusting to the new facility really well."

"So he'll be coming home soon?" Cat's voice rose with excitement, causing Mrs. Valentine to sigh.

"No, baby, he won't. I'm so sorry."

"But why? If he's doing better, why can't he come home? Time off for good behavior: that's a thing, right?"

"He is doing better, Cat, but he still needs extensive treatment. He's been exposed to so many different therapies and medications- they need to be sure that they will work and that he can adapt to the changes. You know they can't just write him a prescription and send him on his way. He needs looking after."

"He's not a child, he doesn't need to be babysat," Cat scoffed.

"You're right: he's not. But because the relapses were becoming progressively worse, he could try and hurt himself-or others- when his next episode occurs. I know it wouldn't be intentional, either; I know he wouldn't purposely hurt anybody, but he's so detached when it happens that he wouldn't have much control over his actions," Mrs. Valentine tried to explain to her daughter.

Cat sat in silence, reluctantly agreeing with her mother.

"Can I talk to him?" she requested again.

"Not right now. He's sleeping. You probably won't be able to for a couple more weeks: they want to give him about a month to focus on treatment and therapy first. They're afraid that if he becomes too upset before he's fully adapted to the new treatments, it could pose a huge setback in his recovery. I'm sorry, Cat."

"I can't wait that long," Cat whispered into the receiver. "A couple more weeks like the one I just had? I can't do it."

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you'll have to wait. I know that you've been having a hard time- I could tell from the voicemail that you left me," Mrs. Valentine stated, her voice thick.

Cat flinched at the sorrow in her mother's voice. She knew that she would be struggling with everything that had been going on with Frankie, and now she was worried about her daughter.

"You sounded really upset. What happened, sweetheart?"

"I almost broke down the day that I came home from the hospital. I saw a picture of Frankie and me, and I thought I was going to lose it, Mom. Jade almost got to me that night and when we went upstairs to go to bed- I started to break. It apparently scared the hell out of Beck and Jade, because they haven't spoken to me since then. I guess they're afraid that any little thing might set me off," Cat began to explain.

"I tried talking to Jade at dinner, and that's when everything kind of unraveled. I told her that she didn't have to be so guarded, that I was fine. She knew better though, Mom. That night when I almost lost it: she'll never forget that. Jade was upset, saying over and over that I promised to talk to her if I was hurting, and then…I snapped."

"Cat," Mrs. Valentine breathed. "I'm sorry, baby. I wish I was there with you, to hug you and tell you that everything is going to be okay. Are you girls alright now?"

Cat flinched at her mother's words, not really sure how to answer. She knew that if she told her all of what she had told Jade, her mother would be extremely worried, and she wasn't about to tell her about being suicidal. Not a chance. She obviously wasn't going to tell her that she ran away, either, as she was in no mood to be reprimanded and, again, didn't want to make her mother worry.

"Cat?" Mrs. Valentine asked cautiously.

Cat closed her eyes and inhaled a shaky breath before answering, "No."

"No?"

"Well, I don't know. I haven't seen Jade since dinner, so I don't really know how she's doing," Cat answered truthfully.

"Have you been in your room since then?"

"N-no," Cat stammered. "I-I-"

"What's going on, Caterina?" Mrs. Valentine demanded, her voice rising with worry.

"Mom? When I tell you what I'm about to tell you, please, _please_ don't get upset."

Mrs. Valentine held her breath in anticipation while she waited for her daughter to continue.

"I kind of ran away," Cat admitted sheepishly.

"Caterina Valentine!" Mrs. Valentine scolded her daughter. "Where are you? Are you okay? I knew I should've stayed home with you."

Cat flinched at the disapproval and worry in her mother's voice, and couldn't help but feel extremely guilty.

"Do you remember when Frankie went to New Jersey? That clearing that I used to go to after school?"

Mrs. Valentine sighed in relief, knowing that her daughter wasn't very far from home.

"Oh, Cat. Why did you run away?" she questioned in a trembling voice.

"I needed to think. I'm so tired of people telling me how I feel, when I know damn well how I feel. I wanted to be alone after I broke down, especially since Jade was the one that caused it. Why would I want to stay and let her have the satisfaction of being right: she knew all along that I was hurting, and she just couldn't wait for the moment I snapped so that she could prove me wrong," Cat spat out.

"You know she didn't want to see you hit your breaking point, sweetheart. She was just really worried about you. When Frankie left for New Jersey, you told everyone that you were alright when on the inside you were devastated, and look where that led to. Could you honestly blame her for being so persistent this time?"

"No," her voice quivered. "Especially because she was right: I'm having a hell of a time trying to deal with all of this."

"Cat," Mrs. Valentine's voice broke, "I'm coming home; I shouldn't have left you. I knew that this would be hard on you. I thought that you would be fine with Jade, but I guess I was wrong."

"No. Stay with Frankie, he needs you," Cat replied, feeling extremely guilty for making her mother upset.

"You need me more, sweetie. I can't just let you try and sort this out by yourself, it's clearly not working."

"It has been tonight," Cat mumbled. "Running away was probably the best thing that's happened to me these past few weeks: I  
finally have time to think things over, alone. Besides, it's so peaceful here: it's relaxing and it helps me take my mind off of things."

"No matter how therapeutic it may be, you know that this was a very wrong thing to do. How do you think Jade feels right now? She's probably a wreck, Cat. She didn't deserve that," her mother scolded her.

"It's her fault," Cat snapped. "I did what she asked: I told her I was hurting, and that running away seemed like a good idea, but she only got mad! She said that I was giving up, and that I was treating this like it wasn't a big deal. She wouldn't stop yelling at me, Mom. She really hurt me!"

"Baby, she only yelled because she cares," Mrs. Valentine consoled her daughter.

"Yeah, well she sure has a funny way of showing it," Cat scoffed.

"You probably scared her half to death, sweetie. I don't think she was angry when she was yelling at you, I think she was scared. Put yourself in Jade's shoes. You can't tell me that you wouldn't be upset hearing what she did."

"If Jadey told me what I told her, I would be terrified," Cat admitted solemnly. "I don't know what I would do."

"How do you think Jade feels? She's probably sick to her stomach right now, worrying about you. Especially being that you ran out right after your breakdown. You've been gone for how long? 6, 7 hours? She probably thinks that you're dead, Cat. Especially after what happened the last time," her mother spoke, her voice thick.

Cat flinched at her mother's words as tears pooled in her eyes.

_Oh my God, she's right. She's right._

"Mommy," she cried, "what did I do?"

"I don't know, baby. But you need to go home: Jade needs you as much as you need her."

Cat nodded her head, sniffling in response.

"Has she called you at all?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so, but I have horrible service out here. I'm surprised that I even got your call," Cat admitted.

"Do you want me to call her? She deserves to know that you're alright."

Cat began to nod her head, agreeing with her mother. However as she got up from her spot in the clearing, she realized that she had no idea how to get back.

"No, it's okay. I'll call her once I leave. I'll have better service then," she lied.

Mrs. Valentine sighed. "Okay, sweetheart. But please call me as soon as you get home, or after you call Jade. I'm worried about you walking around Los Angeles by yourself at night."

"Okay, I'll let you know. And Mom? I'm so sorry, about everything. I don't want you to worry about me: you've got enough going on with Frankie right now. I'll be okay."

"You can't just dump that on me and expect me to not worry, Cat," she argued.

"I know," Cat admitted. "I'm sorry, Mom. I shouldn't have told you that- it wasn't fair to you."

"No. I'm glad you did: I'm happy that you talked to someone before making any rash decisions. I don't want you to feel like you have to bottle things up this time, Cat. Please don't hesitate to call me if you're having a hard day. I'll always be here for you."

"Thank you, Mom," Cat gratefully spoke up, a hint of a smile present on her face.

"You're welcome, baby," she replied, and then added, "Alright, I have to go now. It's almost four in the morning here, and you need to get home."

"Mkay," Cat's answered in a small voice, not wanting to say goodbye. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Now, don't forget to call me after you talk to Jade. Please be safe, Cat. I'll talk to you in a little bit," Mrs. Valentine spoke before disconnecting the call.

Cat began nervously pacing the field, trying to remember her way back, however to no avail.

"This is bad, Cat. So bad," she berated herself as she continued pacing.

"I need to get back, and soon. I feel terrible for leaving Jade like that, and I can only imagine what she's going through."

She checked her phone once again to see if by some miracle she had gained service back. She knew that she needed to call Jade, immediately, but she was out of luck.

"How the hell did my mom's call go through?" she grumbled as she tried refreshing her phone.

"Still nothing," she sighed in defeat before plopping back down on the ground. "I'm so screwed."

_What am I supposed to do now?_

"I wish Frankie were here, he'd know what to do," she whispered into the night as she wrapped her arms around herself, "but he's gone."

"I don't know what to do without you, Frankie," she spoke in a thick voice.

_You're hurting, you're allowed to be weak._ Her brother's voice echoed through her head.

Cat inhaled sharply, trying to hold back her tears.

"But I promised you that I'd get through this," she replied to the voice.

_Don't give up. If you're having a hard day, or having a hard time in general, let someone know._

_I won't give up._

"I'm sorry, Frankie," Cat cried as she placed her head in her lap. "I'm so sorry."

_No, don't say that! That means that you're giving up, and I won't let you. I'm not going to lose you this time. _

Remembering the agony in her friend's voice, Cat's walls came crumbling down.

"Why did I do this? After everything Jade's done, I hurt her. I promised her I'd never let myself become that way again, and now look what happened."

_I miss Frankie so much. He would know exactly what to say to comfort me._

"Frankie," Cat choked out, "I need you."

"Cat?" Jade's voice could be heard in the night. "Cat, are you out here?" she called again, her voice wavering with doubt.

However Cat was lost in her own world as she finally let out all that she had been holding in.

_I don't want to deal with this anymore; I can't._ _I'm tired of all the pain: hurting my family, hurting my friends. Myself…"_

"Why can't I stop feeling this way?" Cat cried. "No matter how badly it hurt to see Jade's reaction when I told her, I still think about going through with it."

"CAT?!" Jade panicked from the other side of the clearing, finally regaining strength in her voice.

"I'm so sorry, Jadey," Cat's bit out, still not aware of her friend.

Finally finding the opening, Jade pushed her way into the clearing and gained sight of the broken redhead. A crushing wave of relief washed over her body as she realized that Cat was really in front of her; she was alive, and she was okay. Jade slowly approached her, afraid of startling her.

"I'm so fucking tired of this!" Cat yelled through her tears.

Jade's stomach lurched as she was brought back to her earlier conversation with Cat. She turned back to look at Beck who had just entered behind her, panic written across her face. Beck tried to give her a reassuring look, but it appeared more as a grimace as he heard first-hand what Jade had been talking about.

"Why do I still want to do this? I can't leave Jadey, I promised her."

Hearing Cat's confession, Jade swallowed thickly before making her way over to her friend. She took one last look at Beck for any kind of reassurance before sitting across from the sobbing girl.

"Cat?" Jade spoke up softly as she tried not to startle her.

"I can't do this to her," she mumbled, still not aware of Jade's presence.

"Baby girl, you're okay," Jade soothed as she gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Cat, upon hearing her special nickname, snapped her head up from where it lay in her lap and stared directly at the person in front of her.

"Jadey?" Cat called out, praying to God that she wasn't dreaming.

Jade simply nodded her head, unable to utter a single word. She carefully brushed away the tears streaming down Cat's face in an attempt to calm her down.

"I'm here, Cat. Everything's okay," she reassured her friend.

Cat sniffled and let the reality sink in.

"Hey, come here," Jade offered as she held her arms open, inviting Cat into her embrace.

She gladly accepted and immediately climbed into her friend's lap, relishing the newfound comfort.

"I'm sorry," Cat apologized as she clung to Jade. "I shouldn't have done that to you. Are you mad at me?" her small voice squeaked out.

Jade's breath hitched in her throat as the tears started trailing down her cheeks as well. She gripped on to her friend tighter, reminding herself that Cat was really there.

"I'm not mad, Cat, just scared shitless," she admitted through a thick voice. "But it's alright, because you're okay now."

Cat wiped at her tears before looking up into her friend's eyes. "No I'm not."

Jade nodded as she stared back at her friend. "I heard."

Cat instantly recoiled, feeling extremely guilty that Jade had heard her outburst.

"I'm sorry, Jadey."

Instead of the outburst that Cat was waiting for, she could hear Jade sniffling as she tried to maintain her composure.

"I thought I'd never hear you call me that again," she admitted as she brushed the hair out of Cat's face. Cat crumbled under Jade's touch and wrapped her arms around her friend, pressing her face into Jade's shoulder.

"Please don't ever do this again. I don't know what I would do without my baby girl," Jade cried while gently rocking the inconsolable redhead.

"I love you so much, Cat. You know that, right?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded, brushing away her tears.

"I know that I may not show it sometimes and that I can be a bitch, but I really do," she reassured her as she continued to rock her.

"I love you too, Jadey," Cat sobbed.

"Shh, it's okay. Everything's okay now," she cooed, desperately trying to calm her down.

"I miss him, Jadey. I miss him so much."

"I know you do, baby. I know. But he's going to be alright; he's going to get better and be home before you know it."

Cat nodded weakly, before speaking up again.

"Is Beck here?"

Jade smiled at her friend, knowing that Beck would be relieved to have his baby girl safe and in his arms. She gently stood up, trying her best to keep her hold on Cat.

"He's not going to yell, is he?" Cat asked as she cowered into Jade's embrace.

Jade smiled lightly as she looked down at her friend.

"He's too worried to yell, Cat. He'll just be relieved that you're alright."

Cat returned the smile before turning her attention to the clearing's entrance, where she noticed Beck anxiously waiting.

"Set me down," she requested, much to Jade's dismay.

"I don't want to let you go," Jade panicked as she gripped onto Cat.

"I'm not going to go anywhere, Jade. I promise."

Heaving a sigh, Jade reluctantly set her down as they made their way over to the distraught boy.

"Beck?" she called out, her voice shaking. As if on command, Beck closed the distance between them and scooped up the petite redhead, hugging her close to his chest.

"You're okay," he sighed in relief as he blinked back tears.

"I'm okay," she tried to reassure him, her voice thick.

"You had us worried sick, you know that?"

"I'm so sorry, Beck," Cat cried into his chest.

"You're like my little sister, Cat. I don't know what I'd do if something every really did happen to you. I love you, baby girl."

Beck continued to hold onto Cat, as he noticed Jade approaching them. Still in shock that her friend really was safe, she ran up to Beck and held on tightly to him and their friend. He gently set Cat down, allowing for him to wrap his arms around both girls.

"Everything's okay now. Everything's alright," he assured them before placing a kiss to Jade's forehead.

"She's alright, babe," he smiled at her, relief oozing from his body.

"I'm alright," Cat agreed as she reveled in the warmth of her friend's embrace.

The friends remained silent in Beck's embrace for several minutes as they let the reality settle.

"You ready?" Beck softly asked the girls, breaking the silence, before releasing them from his grip.

Cat smiled at her friend, more than ready to be home and in her own bed.

"Yes. I'm so exhausted," she admitted as she stifled a yawn.

"Well, if you wouldn't have run so damn far…" Jade scolded, causing Cat to flinch.

The three made their way out to where Beck had parked his car, and Cat quickly climbed into the back before trying to shut the door. Jade stopped her from doing so and quickly slid in beside her and pulled Cat onto her lap. But before Cat could question her friend's action, Jade gripped onto her tightly and smiled down at her.

"I told you I'm not going to let you go."


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey, guys. I'm reaaaally sorry that it took so long for me to update this. I've actually had this chapter written since I posted the previous one, but I ended up scrapping it and rewriting it a few times. Sorry :/ Anyway, thank you guys so much for the reviews and for being patient with me :) Here's chapter 22. Let me know what you think, reviews really help! :D**

"Babe, I can carry her if you want," Beck offered as he watched Jade attempt to carry Cat up the stairs. It had only been a matter of minutes after leaving before she was fast asleep, content in her best friend's arms. Beck tried to gently wake her after arriving home, but was instantly silenced by Jade's glare; she knew that Cat needed to sleep and what's more, she didn't want to let her go.

"No," Jade replied quickly, further tightening her hold on her friend. "I got her."

Beck nodded sympathetically, knowing that Jade had every right to feel protective of the petite girl. Placing a reassuring hand on the small of her back, he carefully guided the girls up the stairs and into Cat's bedroom.

"Everything's okay now, Jade," he reassured his girlfriend. "She's home; she's safe."

Jade nodded, knowing that Beck was right: she knew that Cat was safe, and felt comforted that she was in her arms, but the pain of losing her was still fresh. She looked down at her sleeping friend, smiling at her in her peaceful state.

"I can't believe I almost lost you," she whispered as she sat down on Cat's bed.

The remorse in his girlfriend's voice caused Beck to approach her, and he placed a soft kiss to her lips.

"Do you want me to give you a minute?"

Jade smiled at her boyfriend, accepting his offer. She knew that she needed some time to compose herself, as she was still adjusting to the fact that Cat was alright, no matter how broken she may be.

Beck returned the smile and gently squeezed Jade's free hand before exiting the room, leaving the two girls alone. Jade waited for the click of the door before turning her attention back to her friend and slowly let out all that she had been holding in.

"I'm sorry, Cat. So sorry," she apologized while clinging to her friend. "I shouldn't have yelled at you; I shouldn't have been angry with you, but I can't lose you."

At Jade's words, Cat let out a soft whine as she began to stir in her arms.

"Jade?"

"I'm here, baby girl," she assured her friend, before adding "Are you okay?"

Cat let her eyelids flutter open as she stared up into her friend's shimmering eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jadey," Cat whimpered, curling up into the girl's embrace.

"I shouldn't have run away," she confessed before snapping her eyes shut, afraid for Jade's response.

"You're right: you shouldn't have," Jade broke, causing Cat to flinch. "Why the hell did you do that?"

Cat took a deep breath, readying herself for the exhausting conversation, before finally mumbling, "I told you that I wanted to be alone; I wanted to think."

"Cat," Jade warned, knowing that there was more.

"You yelled at me," she whispered almost inaudibly.

"I'm sorry, Cat, but can you honestly blame me? You're treating this like it's nothing."

"That doesn't mean you had to yell; it only made things worse," the girl huffed before releasing herself from Jade's grip.

"Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have yelled," Jade admitted, "but it's not like I was yelling because I was angry with you; I was terrified. You can't just tell me that and not expect me to react."

"Jade," Cat sighed as she turned her attention back to her friend.

"When you told me that you were suicidal, I've never been more scared in my entire life; especially knowing that you've been home alone while I'm at school. What if you wouldn't have told me that last night, Cat? What if that conversation would have never happened? Would I have come home from school on Monday to a dead best friend?"

Cat cringed as she noticed the pain in her friend's voice. She couldn't blame Jade for her reaction- she had every right to be upset. The image of her friend finding her lifeless, though, was too much for Cat to bear and her stomach rolled.

"I honestly don't know what would have happened," she confessed as she placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

"After you told me that, and then just…disappeared, I thought that I had lost you- that I would never see you again," Jade explained. "You were only gone for a few hours, but those were the worst few hours of my life. Knowing that our last conversation would have been my yelling at you, I couldn't help but feel that I was part of the reason that you would-"

"Jadey," Cat interrupted, her voice filled with remorse, "I would _never_ put you through that; you would have had nothing to do with it. I told you that the last time this happened and nothing's changed. I promise you."

"Seeing you so upset, knowing that I had some part in that. I never wanted to see you like that and I hope that I never will again. Do you understand how worried that made me?"

"I'm sorry; I don't want you to have to worry about me anymore," Cat apologized, earning a pained laugh from Jade.

"That's not going to happen anytime soon; I'm constantly worrying about you: 'Is Cat alright, is she eating, is she sleeping, is she keeping up with her schoolwork, is she depressed, is she…suicidal,'" her voice broke at the end.

Cat turned to face her friend, noticing the agony in her voice. As she did so, she took in Jade's exhausted appearance: her already fair skin had grown even paler, and deep purple bags marred the skin under her bloodshot eyes. Her normally flawless, raven-colored hair hung in matted clumps below her shoulders, and it looked like she hadn't eaten a decent meal in over a week. Cat cringed as she noticed the amount of stress that she had put her friend through. She felt terrible; she thought Jade would be even more worried if Cat had been open from the beginning. She didn't anticipate that sweeping everything under the rug would stress her friend out even more.

"I'm so sorry," Cat cried as she leaned into her friend.

"It's alright, Cat. It's okay," Jade soothed, embracing the girl.

"No it's not," she laughed dryly. "Nothing's okay."

"I forgive you for what happened...so long as you never do this again" Jade clarified. "I know that it's going to be a while before things come even remotely close to being okay."

Cat simply nodded her head in understanding as she continued to sit in her friend's warm embrace.

"I just feel like nobody understands what I'm going through," she finally spoke up after minutes of silence. "First with Frankie being gone and now this? I hate feeling weak- like there's no other way out; that I'd rather be gone than not get to see my family every day. Even though my mom assures me that it's not permanent, I think deep down I know that he's never coming back and it absolutely kills me."

"I know how you feel," Jade admitted, however this got a rise out of Cat.

"How could you possibly know what I'm going through? Is your brother 3,000 miles away in a mental institution?" she challenged, her voice rising ever so slightly.

"Cat-"

"No! I'm tired of people telling me that they understand what I'm going through. How could they? They have no idea."

"Cat, listen to me," Jade pleaded. "You're right: I have no idea what you're going through in regards to Frankie. Even though I see it every day, I can only imagine how you actually feel. But, I know how you feel about… being weak."

"How would you know how I feel? The only time I've ever seen you this upset was when you and Beck were broken up," Cat replied, puzzled by her friend's remark. She pulled back to look at Jade and noticed a pained look in her eyes, allowing for a wave of realization to wash over her. Her eyes widened with fear as she continued to stare at her friend, praying to God that she wasn't right.

"When Beck and I were broken up, those were the worst nine months of my life. You saw it; you know what I went through," Jade explained before being interrupted by Cat's whimper.

"Jadey, why?"

"I was devastated: to see Beck every day and not be with him; to see him move on with his life as if the past three years had meant nothing to him. Seeing him almost kiss Vega… It was horrible."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Cat asked in disbelief.

"I didn't want you to worry. Sound familiar?" Jade retorted.

"That's not fair, Jade. This is different."

"How?" Jade challenged, knowing that she had won. She expected Cat to remain quiet, knowing that Jade was right, however what she didn't anticipate was her next question.

"Does Beck know?"

The silence that followed was enough of an answer for Cat.

"You need to talk to him; he deserves to know," she spoke up, knowing that Jade would refuse.

"It doesn't matter anymore; he doesn't need to worry about that."

"But it does matter!" Cat cried out, frustrated. "What if you still feel that way? He deserves to know."

"Cat, please," Jade begged while placing her hands on Cat's shoulders. "I can't deal with this right now, and neither can he. He's already stressed out enough as it is. This would put him over the top."

Cat slowly began to nod and Jade was convinced that she had won. However just as she thought that Cat had given in, she flung herself off of her bed.

"BECK!" she yelled as she started down the stairs.

Jade froze, paralyzed with fear. She was nowhere near prepared for this conversation and she didn't want Beck to have to worry about her, on top of Cat.

Before Jade could think about it any further she ran out of the room, chasing her friend down the stairs.

"Cat, don't!" she pleaded.

Hearing the distress in Jade's voice, Beck flung himself off of the couch and made his way over to the girls.

"Is everything alright?" He prodded. But Jade froze, unsure of what to do.

Rather than getting the answer that he was expecting from Jade, it was Cat's voice that he heard.

"You have to tell him," her voice broke.

His brows furrowed with worry, not knowing what she was talking about, however as he noticed Jade tense he knew that it must have been pretty important.

"I can't, not right now," she panicked, giving her friend a pleading glance.

"You can tell me anything. What's the matter, babe?"

"Nothing. I need to grab something from home," she lied.

"Jadey," Cat begged as she watched her friend go to walk out the door. However, she was stopped by Beck's strong arms.

"What's wrong?" Beck urged again as his concerned eyes bore into Jade's.

"Nothing's wrong, now let me go," she demanded as she tried to release herself from Beck's grip.

"Cat, what's going on?" he pleaded, knowing that if Jade wouldn't tell, Cat would.

"Baby girl, please-"

Cat took a steadying breath as she tried to maintain her composure, and after hesitating answered her friend.

"Jade can't be upset with me for thinking about suicide; she'd be a hypocrite," she whispered, looking at Beck.

She felt incredibly guilty as she watched the color drain from Beck's olive skin, and Jade could feel Beck's grip loosen as his arms dropped in shock.

"Jade?" he questioned in disbelief, completely taken aback by Cat's statement. However the girl remained silent.

Cat looked up at her friend, growing worried by her silence, and noticed the frustrated tears that threatened to fall.

"I shouldn't have told you anything," Jade mumbled as she backed away, retreating to Cat's bedroom.

Beck started after her, desperate to be with his girlfriend, however he was stopped by the petite redhead.

"I shouldn't have told you that, but you needed to know; I need to talk to her."

He nodded in approval, albeit reluctantly, and left Cat to go after Jade.

"Jade, please!" she cried while running up the stairs.

As Cat made her way into her room, she noticed Jade sitting curled up in the corner of the room.

"Jade," she sighed as she approached her friend. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have told him."

Jade remained silent as she continued to stare at the ground.

"Jade?"

"I want to be alone," she demanded.

"I'm not leaving you alone; I'm not going to lose you," Cat replied, dismissing the irony of the situation.

Jade suddenly glanced up at her friend, noting the distress behind her voice.

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" she muttered monotonously.

Cat let out a sigh, realizing where Jade was coming from. If this was how Jade felt after last night's conversation, she felt terrible.

"I'm sorry, Jadey. If this was anything like you felt last night…" she trailed off, before choking out, "I can't lose you."

Jade's stubborn façade instantly crumbled as she heard the pain in Cat's voice. It seemed that she had finally understood how Jade had been feeling, and she felt terrible that she didn't have time to explain the entire situation to Cat before she ran down the stairs.

"I'm right here, Cat. I'm not going anywhere," Jade soothed.

"When you told me that…" she sniffled as she clung to her friend.

"It's not so fun, is it?"

Cat shook her head. "That was awful."

"Could you imagine how you'd feel if Beck wouldn't have stopped me? If _I _would've been gone for 7, 8 hours?"

"I don't know what I would've done; I can't even imagine how you felt last night. I'm so sorry," she cried, feeling awful for what she had put her friend through.

"It's okay, Cat. Everything's alright," Jade assured her, wrapping an arm around her petite frame.

"Were you actually going to leave?" Cat feebly spoke up.

Jade flinched, hearing the pain in her friend's voice, and squeezed her tight.

"I wasn't going to run away," she admitted, not wanting to touch the other subject.

"You know that's not what I meant, Jade."

"I know," she sighed before pulling back to look at her friend.

"Are you really-"

"No," Jade interrupted. "But I was."

"You were?" Cat questioned, earning a nod from Jade.

"I was trying to tell you that before you decided to run out of the room," Jade scolded.

"That's why you didn't want me to tell him," Cat mumbled in realization. She felt terrible for telling Beck, but if Jade still felt that way, she knew that she needed to tell someone.

Jade sighed. "I knew that I had to talk to him about it at some point, but I just didn't know how to bring it up. It's not something that I could just casually bring up; it's not something to take lightly," she explained.

"Did you get help?" Cat spoke up and, knowing how stubborn Jade is, she expected her to say no. Needless to say, she was shocked by her reply.

"I did; I realized something. What kind of friend would I be for getting upset with you, when you didn't want to get help the first time Frankie left, if I was too stubborn to? Besides, the thought of me not being there for you? That right there was enough to make up my mind. I would never leave you, Cat. Ever," she reassured the fragile girl.

"Good, because I don't know what I'd do without you," Cat sniffled as she hugged her friend tighter.

"And I don't know what I'd do without you," Jade admitted, holding onto her friend.

Cat nodded against Jade's shoulder, before interrupting the silence.

"I need help."

Before Jade could open her mouth to console her friend, Cat continued.

"I just miss him so much. I didn't think that it would be this hard; I thought it would be easier to cope. People say that time heals all wounds, but it's just getting worse."

"Oh, Cat. He'll be home before you know it."

"I know, but it's still so hard," she cried, her words muffled by Jade's shoulder.

"Baby girl, it's alright," Jade cooed while rubbing her friend's back. "It's okay."

Cat whimpered before looking up at Jade, trying to stem her tears.

"Thank you, Jadey."

"You don't have to thank me. You know I'll always be here for you," she reassured her, giving her a warm smile.

Cat smiled at Jade's words, before becoming serious. "If you ever feel that way again, do you promise that you'll talk to me? I can't lose my best friend," she whispered into the silence.

"I promise you, Cat," Jade replied, an urgent tone in her voice. "But if _you_ ever feel like there's nowhere left to turn, you need to come to talk to me, too. I won't lose my baby girl."

"You won't lose me. I promise," she reassured her friend before wiping the tears from her eyes.

Jade smiled lightly and kissed the top of Cat's head before letting out a sigh.

"I should probably go back downstairs; Beck's probably freaking out."

Cat sighed, knowing that Jade was right. She felt terrible for telling Beck about Jade; she knew it wasn't in her place but he deserved an explanation, and she knew that Jade wouldn't have given him one.

"I'm sorry for telling him," Cat apologized once again. "I shouldn't have done that, it wasn't in my place."

"It would've happened sooner or later," Jade reassured her. "And besides, I'm glad you did. If I was still thinking about it, I would've been glad that you told someone. So, thanks."

The slightest of smiles appeared on Jade's face before she stood up from her spot on the ground.

"I'll be back in a little bit. Are you going to be okay by yourself?" she asked a bit nervously.

"I'll be fine," Cat assured her. "I'll just work on some homework or something."

Jade let out a laugh, amused by Cat's response.

"You do realize that it's three in the morning, right? Get some sleep."

"So? I'm not falling asleep until I know that you and Beck are alright," Cat challenged, knowing that Jade wouldn't argue with her.

"Whatever," she sighed in defeat. "Come get me if you need anything, alright?"

Cat nodded easily as she stifled a yawn, before watching Jade retreat back down the stairs.

Once Jade reached the living room, she heaved a nervous sigh; she had no idea what she was going to tell Beck, and she had no idea how he was going to react. Jade carefully scanned the room in search for him when she noticed his familiar figure through the back window. Quietly making her way out the back door and onto the porch, she caught sight of him sitting with his head in his hands. As she slid the door shut, she fully expected him to snap his head up, startled by the intruder, however he remained still.

"Beck," she started as she sat down next to her boyfriend, "we need to talk."

He raised his head at the sound of his girlfriend's voice, and quickly rubbed his hands over his face.

"What's going on, Jade?" He asked, his voice hoarse. "Was Cat telling the truth?"

Her heart broke at the sadness in his voice, knowing how worried he was.

Beck looked up at Jade when she didn't answer and his tortured gaze bore into hers.

"Jade?"

She remained quiet, too afraid to say anything, but the silence was enough of a confirmation for Beck.

"When?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"Does it matter? This was a while ago."

"A while ago, or nine months ago?" he spoke up, causing Jade to flinch.

"I think you know," she answered quietly as she awaited his reaction.

Instead of the yelling that she was expecting to come, Beck flung his arms around his girlfriend and held her close.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Why would you have cared? I wasn't your girlfriend anymore; you shouldn't have had to deal with me," she reasoned.

Beck pulled away to look at his girlfriend, allowing her to see the hurt and disbelief in his red-rimmed eyes.

"I _never_ would have felt that way, Jade. I never stopped caring about you- I never stopped loving you. You should have known better than to think that I wouldn't care."

"I didn't want you to feel like you had to get back together with me just because I was broken. We would've been even worse off if that'd happened," she argued, but felt guilty as she watched a dozen emotions flit across Beck's face.

"I would've tried to help you, Jade. I was miserable without you, and I can see that you were the same way."

"Beck," Jade sighed as she noticed the thickness in his voice.

"I just don't know what I would do if I lost you," he broke, causing Jade to wrap her arms tighter around him.

"Oh, baby," she cooed, trying to calm him down while keeping her own emotions in check.

"I've lost you before and I know how that feels. When we were broken up, not being able to be with you every day, not being able to tell you how much I still loved you, watching your life go on without me. Those were the worst nine months of my life: you were still there, but it was as if you were gone. I barely made it through that, I don't know what I would do if you really were gone."

"I'm here; I would never leave you," she reassured him through a thick voice. Beck rarely ever was this emotional, especially in front of Jade, so to see him like this truly saddened and frightened her. She knew that he must have been pretty shaken up for him to break his collected façade, and the sight of her normally calm boyfriend broke her heart.

Beck remained silent in his girlfriend's arms, reveling in the fact that she was okay, and it was Jade who broke the silence.

"I got help," she spoke up and could practically feel Beck's body sagging with relief.

"It wouldn't have been right for me to go through with it; I would have hurt so many people. And Cat," she broke, "when Cat told me that she had attempted suicide the night after Frankie left for New Jersey, I told her that she was being selfish, taking away her own life and hurting others. What kind of friend would I be if I went and did the same thing? And, not being there for her- the thought of the look on her face when she would have found out…that right there was enough for me to not go through with it. So I got help. I talked to Lane every day at lunch- I wasn't trying to avoid you, but I just couldn't tell you. I didn't know how."

"You really care about her, don't you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Jade let out a pained laugh as she replayed the night's events.

"So much. She's not just my best friend, she's my baby girl. I don't know what I would do without her. Sure our friendship isn't perfect, and recently it's been pretty stressful, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love her so much, Beck," Jade cried as she rested her chin on Beck's shoulder.

"I know you do, baby," Beck comforted her. "She's lucky to have someone like you: someone who was there for her when no one else was, especially considering the past day's events. You never gave up on her."

Jade smiled at Beck's words before becoming serious once again.

"I'm also the one that pushed her away and the one that caused her to fall apart-"

"Jade," Beck interrupted her, "Like you said, your friendship isn't perfect. I know that you didn't do all of those things on purpose- so does Cat. I know you were just trying to help her, babe. You saw what she didn't: you knew where she was headed before she had even given it a thought."

"But she seemed so upset. I know she's upset at me for yelling at her last night, but it's not like I was yelling just to yell. I was scared, Beck," Jade argued, still not feeling better about the situation.

"I think she realizes that you did all that you did to help her. You're such an amazing best friend, and I know Cat feels the same way."

Jade pulled away from her boyfriend and stared into his sincere gaze. He always knew what to say to make her feel better, and she loved him for that.

"I love you so much," she whispered before pulling back into his embrace. "Thank you."

"I love you too, babe," Beck smiled as he held onto his girlfriend. "I just want you to be okay."

"And I will be," she replied. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I will be."

"If you _ever_ feel that way again, Jade, please tell me. I hate it when you're hurt, and I don't want to find out when it's too late. I know Cat wouldn't either."

"I promise you. I would never leave you," she assured him. "Ever."

As if suddenly realizing the absence of a certain redhead, Beck quickly stood up while taking Jade's hand.

"Where's Cat?" he asked as he began to panic.

"Easy there, big brother," Jade teased. "She's in her room. I told her that I would meet her up there in a little bit."

Beck smiled with relief as he walked Jade back into the house.

"You should probably get up there then. You know she won't fall asleep until she knows everything's okay."

Jade laughed as she remembered those exact words that Cat had told her.

"Are you going to be alright down here?" she joked, knowing that Beck had missed sleeping with Jade in his arms.

"Actually, I'm probably going to head back to the RV," he answered as he watched Jade's face fall. "I'll be back tomorrow, babe. Don't worry. I just want to give you girls some space."

Jade nodded, agreeing with Beck.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" she asked before being swept up by Beck.

"Maybe," he joked before he placed a long, passionate kiss to her lips, leaving her breathless as she pulled away.

"I'll take that as a yes," she laughed as he set her down.

"Goodnight," Beck smiled before walking towards the door. Just as he was about to walk out, he turned back to his girlfriend and whispered, "I love you, babe," which caused Jade to blush.

"Love you, too," she uttered right as the door clicked shut, a smile still present on her face.

Jade quietly turned towards the stairs and made her way up to her friend's room, where she found Cat sitting awake in the middle of her bed.

"I thought I said to get to sleep?"

"Are you and Beck alright?" Cat asked nervously as she watched Jade make her way over to the bed.

"Everything's fine, Cat. Go to sleep," Jade murmured as Cat rested her head on her chest.

Just when Jade thought she had finally fallen asleep, Cat's tired voice broke the silence.

"We're going to be okay, Jadey. I promise."

"I know, baby girl," Jade whispered as she absentmindedly stroked Cat's hair. "I know."


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you guys so much for your reviews! I especially liked all the Bade feedback :D Here's chapter 23, let me know what you think!**

Cat groggily rolled over in her bed as she tried to catch a glimpse at the clock. Despite the fact that she was absolutely exhausted, both mentally and physically, she had barely slept: spending the entire night tossing and turning as her mind was on overdrive. She figured that it would happen, with the conversation with her mother and constantly worrying about Frankie, but she was becoming accustomed to this. It was her conversation with Jade that put her over the top. Not only that Jade had confessed to being suicidal, but Cat hadn't fully realized the toll that the past few weeks had taken on her friend, especially the past few days.

"Only seven o'clock?" she mumbled in disbelief. It felt like she had been in her bed for hours, what with the constant tossing and turning, but it had only been a mere three hours. Letting out a sigh, she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling in boredom; she wanted Jade to wake up, but Jade being Jade, it wouldn't be happening any time soon. Cat let her eyes wander over to the sleeping girl that lay close to her- a little too close for her comfort. Normally Cat wouldn't mind and would revel in the fact that the normally tough Jade West was being so intimate, but the death grip that she had been in for the past few hours was starting to become uncomfortable; it wasn't a soothing grasp, but a more desperate, pleading one.

Cat slowly brought her hand to where Jade's lie on her side and carefully tried to pry herself loose. As she was about to finally release herself, she could hear Jade's soft grunt from beside her. Cat instantly snapped her eyes shut, holding her breath as she waited for her to fall back asleep. However her attempt to be silent fell short as her stomach began to growl, desperate for food.

"This is ridiculous," she mumbled as she carefully slipped out of the bed. As soon as Cat was free of her grasp, Jade subconsciously patted the sheets where she lay moments before. But before she had the chance to wake up, Cat quickly pushed her pillow towards her friend and watched as Jade brought it close to her.

"I'll be right back; I'm going to get some breakfast," she whispered as she went to leave the room.

Jade quietly babbled something in response, and Cat let out a soft chuckle as she shut the door and made her way downstairs.

"Hmmm, what to eat," she wondered while she rummaging through the cabinets. As she began fumbling around in the pantry, she came across a box of her favorite red velvet pancake mix and smiled as she brought it off of the shelf. When Cat was younger, despite her constant begging, her parents would refuse to make the sugary food as they knew how hyper it made her. It was only when she was left alone with Frankie that she would get to make her favorite food. What's more, she knew that Jade secretly enjoyed them as well, and she thought it would be nice to wake up to a home-cooked breakfast- to eat something other than cereal.

As Cat began fumbling around for the other ingredients, her phone lit up with a new message from Beck.

_Is everything alright? Are you girls okay?_

Cat sighed as she read Beck's text.

She still felt terrible for telling him about Jade; she knew that he would be extremely worried. Ever since Beck and Jade's conversation earlier this morning, Cat had known that he wouldn't be getting that much sleep. She was right.

**To: Beck :]**

**From: Cat**

**Everything's fine! Jade's still asleep** **and I'm starting breakfast.** **You can come over whenever :]**

Cat hit the send button before setting her phone down, returning to her breakfast duties. After pouring the batter onto the griddle and starting the coffee pot, she heard a soft knock at the door.

Quietly bounding over to the door, she whipped it open to reveal a disheveled looking Beck.

"You alright?" she asked eagerly, ushering her friend into the house.

"Yeah," he lied, "just tired."

"I can see that," she joked. "I'm making coffee, do you want a cup?"

Beck nodded his head, eager for the pick-me-up.

As Cat finished flipping the pancakes, she poured Beck his cup of coffee and placed it down in front of him.

"I'm really sorry about this morning," she apologized yet again. "I knew you would've been extremely worried about Jade. I thought that she was still suicidal; I didn't give her the chance to explain that she wasn't.

"Don't be sorry, Cat," he assured the redhead before taking a sip of the coffee. "If this was a current issue, I'd rather have you tell me against Jade's wishes than when it's too late," he admitted.

"That's what Jadey told me, too. But still, I can see how upset you are: you didn't sleep at all."

"That's not true. I'd say I got a solid half hour," he joked, tossing a smile at his friend.

"That makes me feel _so_ much better," she mumbled.

After taking another sip from his mug, he looked back up at Cat.

"So, why are _you_ awake?"

"Couldn't sleep," she shrugged as she flipped the pancakes onto a plate.

"How is that even possible?" he teased. "Aren't you exhausted?"

"Aren't you?" she snapped, a hint of slight annoyance in her voice.

"That just answered my question."

"Sorry," she apologized before placing a plate in front of Beck.

"I'm exhausted, but it's hard to sleep with so much going through my mind. Not to mention being in the iron grip all night."

Beck laughed at Cat's remark, knowing exactly how she felt. Whenever he would come home after a long trip away to Canada, Jade would always sleep over. After being away from him for so long, she grew fairly protective and wouldn't let him move an inch.

"Can you blame her though, Cat?" he asked, becoming serious. "She was so worried about you last night. It was…awful, seeing her like that. She honestly thought that you were dead; she was a mess."

The redhead hung her head with guilt, feeling terrible for what she had put her friends through. She didn't know what else she could do to express how truly sorry she was; just saying it wasn't enough for her.

"Honestly? No," she admitted in a hushed whisper. "She has every right to be protective, because if the roles were reversed- which they almost were- I would feel the same way."

"Do you want to know what she told me last night?" Beck spoke up softly, feeling guilty for making Cat upset.

"What?"

"She told me that you're more than a best friend to her, you're her baby girl," he recounted with a small smile. "Although it may not always seem like it, she cares about you so much. And I do, too."

Cat smiled at her friend as a small tear trailed down her cheek, startling Beck.

"Hey, come here," he soothed as he invited her into his embrace. "It's alright, Cat. I didn't mean to make you upset."

She let out a soft chuckle as another tear trailed down her cheek.

"It's not that. It's just that you always know what to say to make me feel better. Thank you," she spoke up gratefully, wiping away the tear.

"Anytime," Beck assured her before rubbing his hand up and down her back.

"So," he spoke up, turning his attention back to his plate, "was Jade okay after I left?"

Cat let out a soft sigh as she noticed the worry evident in his voice.

"She seemed alright," she replied. "But when she came back upstairs she went right to sleep; she didn't really say much."

Beck nodded, feeling better knowing that she wasn't upset.

"Why, did something happen?" Cat asked, her voice rising slightly with worry.

Beck noticed this and immediately spoke up.

"Everything's alright, Cat. I promise. I'm just really worried about her."

"I am too," Cat admitted quietly, "she's been under so much stress because of this whole situation. Who's to say that she won't hit her breaking point and…," she trailed off.

Beck slowly nodded his head, agreeing with Cat**.** "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

Cat gently rubbed his shoulder in reassurance, not knowing what else she could say.

"Do you want another?" she asked softly, gesturing towards Beck's empty plate.

"Actually, I'm going to go check on Jade. When I come back down, though, I'll grab another one…or two," he added.

Suddenly remembering her slumbering friend upstairs, Cat began to panic; she had been downstairs for almost an hour. Sure, Jade wasn't a light sleeper by any means, but if she were to wake up and Cat was gone, she'd freak.

Beck noticed the worried look that had become present on Cat's face, and he himself became worried.

"What's wrong, baby girl?"

"I told Jade that I'd be right back…an hour ago. If she's awake, she's going to flip," she explained, feeling guilty.

Beck nodded in understanding and the two quickly made their way up the stairs and into Cat's room, where they found Jade fast asleep. Cat let out a sigh of relief, glad that Jade hadn't woken up. She didn't want to worry her and, what's more, she knew that she was exhausted. Beck smiled as he watched his girlfriend sleeping peacefully, and carefully leaned over the bed to place a kiss to her forehead. Gently brushing the hair out of her face, he whispered a "sleep tight, baby," before leaving the room and making his way back downstairs.

As he dished himself another plate of food, he turned his attention to Cat.

"You girls have anything planned for today?"

"Just sleep," she replied before resuming her breakfast.

"And how's that going so far?" he teased her, knowing how exhausted she truly was.

"What? I was hungry," she defended.

"Are you going to go back asleep after breakfast?"

"I don't know about _back _to sleep. But, sure, I'll try to sleep. I just don't think there's any way to relax; my mind's on overdrive."

"Cat," Beck sighed as he set down his coffee. "Do you want to talk about something? Help clear your mind?"

"Thanks, but it's okay," she declined, earning a worried look from her friend.

"You don't have to be afraid to tell me anything," he encouraged her.

Cat smiled lightly and nodded her head.

"Let me just clean up the kitchen first?"

"Let me do that. You already made the breakfast, the least I could do is clean up," he offered while taking the dishes from her hands.

"Thank you," she smiled before making her way over to the couch.

As she waited for Beck to finish in the kitchen, she let her eyelids flutter shut as she tried everything in her power to fall asleep. It was still useless though, as her mind continued running.

_I know how you feel about being weak….I was suicidal._

No matter how many times she tried to convince herself that Jade was alright- that that was in the past- she still continued to worry, for fear that there was something that Jade wasn't telling her. Sure, Jade promised her that she wouldn't leave her, but Cat also promised the same thing and look how that turned out. She knew that Jade must be feeling the same way about her, especially after last night. For Cat, not being able to see Jade next to her caused her to panic. She flew off the couch without hesitation and ran upstairs to her friend.

As she made her way into her room, her heart sank when she noticed an empty bed and she began to panic.

"No," she mumbled under her breath.

"Cat?" she could hear Beck's worried voice from down the stairs. "Is everything okay?"

Just as she was about to reply, she saw a very distraught looking Jade come walking back into the room.

"Jadey!" Cat cried as she flung her arms around her. "Where were you?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she answered while embracing her friend. "I woke up and you were gone."

"I'm sorry," Cat apologized, noticing the worry in her voice. "I couldn't sleep and I was hungry, so I decided to go downstairs."

"Oh, Cat," she sighed, "did you get any sleep?"

As Cat leaned her weight into her friend, Jade let out a soft chuckle.

"I'll take that as a no."

"I tried to," Cat replied. "My body's exhausted, but apparently my mind's not."

"Do you want to talk about anything?" Jade asked as she brushed the hair out of Cat's face.

"You sound just like Beck," she mumbled, causing Jade to raise an eyebrow. However before she could question it, Cat interrupted her.

"He's in the kitchen; he's been here for a little over an hour. He sent me a few texts this morning making sure that we were alright and he seemed really worried, so I told him to come over first thing."

Jade let out a long sigh; she knew that this would happen.

"I'm sorry," Cat apologized, noticing the distress that her friend was in.

"Cat, I told you that it's okay. He needed to find out, and he was going to sooner or later. Don't be upset," she reassured her.

"Now. I'm going downstairs. Are you going to stay up here?"

Cat quickly shook her head, not wanting to leave her friend's side.

"I don't want to leave you," she admitted sheepishly.

"Now you know how I feel. And I'm not going anywhere, I promise," Jade reminded her, before adding, "Now let's go downstairs, I'm starving."

Cat nodded as she began to follow Jade into the kitchen. Upon their arrival, Beck let out a sigh of relief before turning to Cat.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned by her abruptly fleeing from the living room.

"I am now," she replied while wrapping her arm around Jade, causing Beck to smile.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he teased before kissing her forehead. "You're up early."

"Yeah, well rolling over to an empty bed definitely played a part in that," she retorted, earning a guilty look from Cat.

"Did you already eat, babe?"

"I did. Cat set some aside for you; she just put them in the fridge," he answered her as she walked over to the refrigerator.

"Pancakes?"

"Yup! Red velvet. They were mine and Frankie's favorite- we used to make them whenever he would babysit me," she confessed. "And I remember how much you used to love them when we were little."

"Thanks, Cat," Jade smiled as she sat down on a bar stool.

"Oh! And I made coffee!" Cat exclaimed, setting a mug in front of her friend. "Black with two sugars, just how you like it."

As soon as the mug was within reach, Jade greedily downed the hot liquid, ignoring the burning sensation as it traveled down her throat.

"I figured you'd want it," Cat laughed as she watched her friend set down the mug.

"You know me so well," Jade agreed, taking a bite of the pancake.

Beck turned his attention back to Cat, still worried about her.

"Do you still want to talk?" he asked her, hopeful that she hadn't changed her mind.

Jade perked up at Beck's question, waiting for Cat's response. She let a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing the nod of Cat's head and went back to finishing her breakfast.

"Come here," Beck soothed as he held his arms open, inviting Cat into them. He gently scooped up the redhead before making his way over to the couch and sat down with her in his embrace.

"What's bothering you, baby girl?" he asked, deeply concerned for the small girl.

Cat quickly glanced over to the kitchen, making sure that her friend wasn't paying much attention. "I'm still really worried about Jadey," she admitted quietly.

Beck knew Cat would be upset; he couldn't blame her as he was just as upset as she was.

"I know that she said that was in the past, but like you said: what if something happens? I mean, look at what happened with me."

"I know exactly how you feel. That's why I couldn't sleep: that's all I've been thinking about since this morning," he admitted, trying to keep calm for Cat.

"It's scary, Beck; I'm terrified," she whimpered, earning a sympathetic look from the boy.

He nodded his head, agreeing with her, before looking over at his girlfriend.

"Babe?" He asked, a sense of urgency notable in his voice.

Jade picked up on this and abandoned her breakfast, making her way over to the couch.

"I don't know what I would do if something really did happen- if she really were gone," Cat cried, causing Jade to sigh as she ran into the living room.

As she sat down on the couch, she grabbed hold of Cat's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I already told you: I'm not going anywhere, I promise," she reassured her.

"You say that now, but what if something else happens?"

"So the roles have been reversed," Jade joked, trying to make Cat feel better, but to no avail.

"I'm serious, Jade," Cat whimpered, deeply worried for her friend.

"Nothing would ever be worth leaving you," she assured both Beck and Cat. "No petty issue that I would be going through would even amount to the pain that I would cause; it wouldn't be worth it."

"You promise?" Cat spoke up, and the vulnerability of her voice caused Jade to flinch.

"Come here," she soothed, allowing Cat to crawl into her lap.

"I promise you. That's never going to happen. I swear on my life. I swear on Beck's life," she added, earning a small laugh from Cat.

"I'm serious, Cat. You're not just my best friend, you're my baby girl. And I would never, _ever_ leave my baby girl," Jade reassured her through a thick voice. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

Cat sniffled quietly before replying. "And I'm sorry for scaring you," she apologized. "I know how you felt last night when I told you everything that I did, and I know how scared you must have been. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Jade soothed, allowing Cat to cling to her.

"What you said, about nothing ever being worth leaving? That's exactly how I feel, Jadey. I want you to understand that. After seeing how upset you were last night and this morning, how upset both of you were, thinking that I was gone, it made me realize how selfish I would've been if I had gone through with it. I never wanted to hurt you, and I'm so sorry that I did."

"It's okay, Cat," Jade reassured her as she gently rubbed up and down her back. "Everything's okay now."

Jade felt Cat's body relax in her grip, and she knew that Cat would be out within minutes. Knowing how exhausted she truly was, Jade leaned in and began to sing softly to her, effectively pulling her under in seconds.

She smiled as Cat's light snores filled the room, and was relieved that she had finally gotten her to sleep; she knew that she needed it.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Beck quietly spoke up as he moved closer to his girlfriend.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she gently rocked her friend, desperate to keep her asleep.

"That," he gestured towards her. "You're so gentle with her. You're such an amazing best friend," he praised her, gently kissing her temple.

Jade blushed, something that Beck seldom saw her do.

"It's like second nature with her," she smiled. "After all, she is my baby girl."

**Kind of a filler chapter, I know. But I saw the opportunity to include a Bat moment and to incorporate more Cade fluff :) Hope you liked it, and let me know what you think :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry about the lack of updates; I feel terrible :/ But on the bright side, finals are done, and I'm back home for summer, so I have more time to write/update :D Anyways, thank you so much for all of your feedback and reviews :) And to the reviewer CadeFrindship4ver: Don't feel terrible! I would never be mad :) You've been reviewing from the beginning, how could I be mad with that? :) **

"Junk, junk, bills…" Cat mumbled while sorting through the mail. Mrs. Valentine had called her daughter only a few nights before, explaining to Cat that Frankie was now allowed to contact her. Although she would have preferred a phone call, or even a Skype session, Cat knew that it would be difficult to speak to her brother for so long, especially with his hectic schedule. Ever since arriving at the facility, Frankie had been writing little notes and letters to his sister, reassuring her that he was in fact getting better, but most importantly checking up on her. Especially after the night that Cat ran away. While Mrs. Valentine thought that Frankie was sleeping soundly in his bed, he had caught most of his mother's conversation with Cat. Although he had only heard the half of it, he could tell by the tone of his mother's voice that something was wrong; it worried him. That night, hearing the conversation, he wanted to snatch the phone out of his mother's hand and reassure his little sister that everything was okay- to try to calm her down. Each time that Mrs. Valentine would get off the phone with her daughter, Frankie could sense how worried she was and it took everything he had to not ask what had happened; he wasn't supposed to have heard the conversation- he wasn't supposed to worry.

When her mother told her that a "special package" would be arriving soon, Cat was ecstatic: she knew that it had to have been something from her brother. Each day since finding out about the package, she would wait impatiently all morning for the mail to be delivered- her eyes practically glued to the clock. As soon as the clock struck eleven, she would eagerly run out to the mailbox with excitement, anxious to hear from her brother. However after rifling through the endless pile of junk mail, and not finding a single package from Florida, she would slowly retreat back inside the house, upset by her lack of mail.

This day was no exception. As Cat finished flipping through the mail, she let out a sigh, knowing that she would have to wait another day. By this point, though, she was growing extremely impatient. Sure, it had only been sent just a few days before, but Cat was optimistic: she hoped that by some miracle it would just magically appear at her house the next morning. Needless to say, she was wrong.

After tossing aside the stack of mail, Cat grabbed her Pearpad off of the counter and made her way over to the dining room table. Trying to take her mind off of her brother, she began scrolling through the Slap feed, eager to reconnect with her peers. Ever since Frankie had left, she hadn't really seen much of the gang, minus Beck and Jade of course, and it was hard for her to not be able to see them every day. She had been considering going back to school, as she not only missed her friends, but surprisingly the classes as well. Jade, however, thought that Cat wasn't ready to go back just yet- she didn't think that she could handle the stress of school on top of her brother being gone, and she made her point very clear.

She let out a giggle as she came across the latest Wacky Donkey video that Robbie had posted. No matter what mood she was in, the Wacky Donkey would always make her feel better. Or maybe it was the fact that Robbie had posted it?

"You're up early," Jade's voice could be heard as she descended the stairs, startling Cat.

The redhead, after regaining her composure, turned to look at her friend and smiled.

"It's eleven o'clock, Jade," she stated matter-of-factly, before turning back to her Pearpad.

"Like I said, you're up early," Jade repeated, earning a laugh from Cat.

"So…," Jade spoke up before glancing over to the counter.

"Not here yet," Cat replied, her gaze still fixed on the screen. Jade didn't have to finish her sentence- Cat knew exactly what she was going to ask. It was the same thing that she'd asked every other morning for the past couple of days, but she still received the same reply.

Jade sighed, knowing how much Cat was looking forward to the letters; she was, too. Even though Cat had been doing a lot better since that night, Jade knew that she really needed to hear from her brother.

"It'll be here soon, just give it a couple more days," she reassured her friend before sitting across from her.

"I guess you're right," Cat shrugged.

"Are you just going to stare at your Pearpad all day?" Jade joked, although slightly annoyed.

Cat shook her head as if trying to snap out of a stupor.

"Sorry," she muttered before locking it and pushing it aside.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Cat reassured her friend, earning an interrogative look from Jade.

"Tired?"

Cat nodded her head, and Jade's look softened.

"Did you get much sleep?"

Cat hesitated, as if she were trying to remember, before finally answering.

"More than I have been recently. Probably like five, six hours?"

"Still not enough," Jade sighed in disapproval, then added "but I guess it's better than most nights."

The redhead shrugged before pushing her chair away from the table and walking into the kitchen.

"So, I've been thinking," she started while rummaging through the fridge.

"Yeah?"

"I really think I'm ready to go back to school," she finished firmly.

Jade sighed as she looked over at her friend.

"Cat-"

"Just hear me out, Jade," Cat interrupted. "I've been gone for a few weeks, and I feel like it's time that I go back. I miss it: not only seeing our friends, but I actually kind of miss the classes," she admitted. And before Jade could try to speak up, Cat continued. "I know you think that I would be too stressed out with schoolwork, on top of Frankie being gone, but I won't. I mean, think about it: I've been doing all of the work at home anyway, so I should be fine."

As Cat went to shut the fridge, she was startled by the sudden appearance of her friend standing behind the door.

"I just don't want you to take on too much too soon," Jade explained, placing a hand on Cat's shoulder.

"Too soon? Jade, it's been almost a month," Cat fought back.

Jade sat silent, staring intently at her friend for a few moments, and Cat knew that Jade's will was faltering**.**

"Please, Jadey?" Cat begged as she began to innocently bat her eyelashes.

Jade heaved a sigh of defeat before dropping her hands to her sides. "Fine," she grumbled, earning a wide smile from her friend.

"Thank you!" Cat exclaimed while throwing her arms around Jade.

"Yeah, yeah," Jade spoke up before pulling away. "You're lucky you're cute," she teased, referring to Cat's begging.

"So, what's the real reason that you want to go back?" Jade asked curiously, knowing that there was more to it than Cat led on.

"I want to prove to you that I can do it, and I want to show you that I'm getting better," she admitted sheepishly, looking down at the ground.

"I don't doubt that you can," Jade explained, "I just don't want you to stress yourself out any more than you already are. And," she continued, tilting Cat's chin upwards to meet her gaze, "you _are_ getting better. I can see it every day and I'm really glad that you're starting to act like yourself again- like the baby girl that I know and love."

Cat smiled at her friend, happy that Jade could tell that she was doing better.

"Me too."

"So," Jade spoke up, "I figured we could do something today, instead of moping around the house."

As Cat took in Jade's words, she peered out the window at the dark purple sky outside. It was an unusually stormy day in Los Angeles, and she was in no mood to go outside.

"Um, have you been outside?" she asked, pointing to the window.

"Does it look like it?" Jade responded while gesturing to her bedhead, earning a laugh from Cat.

"Tell you what: why don't we just have a movie day? I can be showered and meet you back down here in a half hour?"

Cat nodded eagerly before making her way over to the stacks of DVDs, and began rifling through them to find a movie that Jade would approve of, which was hard to do considering Cat's love for Disney.

After setting a few aside, Cat retrieved her Pearpad off of the dining room table and plopped down on the couch as she waited for Jade.

Not much longer, the girl made her way down the stairs and over to the couch, where she sat down next to Cat.

"What'd you pick?" she asked warily, expecting to see stacks of Disney movies.

"Well," Cat started as she gestured to the spread of movies.

"Mean Girls, Pitch Perfect, and…The Scissoring?" Jade asked in disbelief.

"I figured if you could tolerate watching Disney movies with me all the time, I could tolerate three hours of a scary movie," Cat explained, earning a smile from Jade.

"Well, which one first?"

"Pitch Perfect!" Cat exclaimed a little too eagerly, causing Jade to laugh.

"What? Every time we start it, we always fall asleep. I would like to actually _finish_ the movie before I die," she joked.

Jade rolled her eyes before starting the movie and reclaiming her spot on the couch. But as she sat down, she noticed Cat making her way out of the room.

"You want popcorn?" she heard her ask from the kitchen.

Jade turned around from her spot on the couch and looked over at her friend.

"Sure," she smiled as she watched her friend gather the rest of the snacks. After the popcorn had finished popping, Cat poured it into a bowl and made her way over to her friend, food in hand.

"Can we start this thing now?" Jade teased while tossing a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

Cat laughed as she hit the play button, allowing for the sounds of the opening scene to fill the room.

As the movie went on, both girls sat in complete silence, an occasional giggle escaping here and there. After about an hour, Jade reached out to take a sip of her drink before leaning back into the couch and resting her head on the younger girl's shoulder, taking her by surprise.

"Someone's in a good mood," Cat teased as she let her head rest on top of Jade's.

"So?" she fought back, but smiling ever so slightly.

Cat pulled the blanket up around her and her friend, keeping her gaze fixed on the TV. As she did, she noticed the main character watching The Breakfast Club, and watched as Judd Nelson threw his fist up into the air.

"Don't you think he kind of looks like Beck?" Cat asked with a giggle.

This earned a laugh from Jade as well. "I tell him that all the time. He's my Bender and I'm his Allison," she joked.

Cat laughed, being able to see the resemblance.

"Where is Beck anyway? He hasn't been around much anymore."

"He's been really busy," Jade reasoned, not giving any further explanation.

Cat lifted her head up and turned to face her friend.

"You promise that everything is okay between you two?"

"Cat," Jade sighed, "I promise you, everything is alright. Nothing happened that night when we had our talk, I already told you that."

"I know, but I feel like he hasn't been around much anymore."

"I felt like he was around too much," Jade began, earning an inquisitivelook from Cat.

"We haven't had much Cat and Jade time in a while and he recognized that, too. He just wanted to give us some space, that's all. Nothing's wrong, Cat. I promise."

Cat sighed in relief, happy to know that her friends were alright. Even though Jade had promised them both that her post-break up feelings were in the past, she still worried about her.

"Hey," Jade quietly spoke up, noticing when Cat became quiet. The redhead met Jade's sincere gaze as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If something was wrong, you would tell me, right?" the smaller girl asked.

"Of course I would," Jade reassured her. "I would tell you right away, I promise. But like I said: you don't need to worry, because everything's okay."

Cat smiled at her friend's words and nodded before turning back to the TV.

"We're honestly never going to finish this movie," she joked.

"Well, we could watch The Scissoring?" Jade suggested, and laughed when she saw Cat cringe.

"Or not," she added.

"No, I want to watch it," Cat spoke up, trying her best to sound convincing.

Jade shrugged and made her way off of the couch to go put in the movie. As she made her way back, she noticed Cat already curled up into the couch, her face barely peeking out from behind the blanket.

"Come on, it won't be that bad," Jade tried reassuring her, although she had to admit: she was slightly amused.

"You promise?"

"Eh," Jade shrugged with a smile, laughing when she noticed Cat cower even further into the couch, if that were even possible.

"I'm kidding, Cat. If you want, just let me know when it gets to scary and I can turn it off, alright?"

Cat nodded from under the blanket and slowly sat up as the opening credits began.

* * *

A couple of hours into the movie, Cat had returned to her balled-up position on the couch and watched with wide eyes as Tawny Blackheart plunged her scissors into another victim. She couldn't understand why Jade was so fascinated with this movie; it was disgusting.

Jade sat on the edge of the couch with a small smile on her face, completely invested in the movie. So much so, that she hadn't noticed the shaking that had been rattling the couch. Right as it had gotten to Jade's favorite part which, by no surprise, was also the most gory, there was a knock on the front door, effectively causing Cat to jump up, spilling her popcorn.

"Do you want me to turn it off?" Jade asked, suddenly realizing how upset it was making her petite friend.

"Sure," Cat whimpered as she made her way over to the door. She carefully peered through the blinds to be sure that Tawny wasn't waiting for her on the other side of the door, and sighed with relief when she saw her neighbor instead.

With a smile, Cat opened the door to reveal the six-year-old, Katie, with her small hand extended towards Cat.

"My mommy says we got this by 'stake," she explained while holding out a rather stuffed manila envelope.

As Cat gently took the envelope from the little girl, she glanced over it and sure enough her name was inscribed on the front.

"Thank you, Katie Mine," Cat smiled before tousling her hair. "I've been waiting for this."

"You're welcome, Kitty," The little girl smiled with a toothless grin before making her way back to her house, leaving Cat alone at the front door.

She continued flipping the envelope over in her hands, making sure that it was really what it said it was. Sure enough, written in her brother's messy font was her name clearly marked on the front of the envelope. A wide smile spread across her face as she practically ran back inside the house.

"Jadey! Jadey! Jadey!" She exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"What is it, baby girl?" she asked through a smile, already knowing by her friend's excitement what must've been in her hands.

"My mail came, the neighbors had it!" she explained before making her way over to the dining room table, where she sat down and began to open the envelope.

All of the tears and heartache that she had suffered from over the past month now seemed like a distant memory. She was finally getting to hear from her brother, and nothing in the world could make her happier.

* * *

**There you have it :) Kind of a filler chapter, but I felt that a little Cade fluff was in order :) And a set up for the next chapter couple of chapters with Frankie. Let me know what you think! **

**Oh! And by the way, I kind of have another story line in the works that I've been working on. It kind of came to me in the middle of the night...like literally. I couldn't sleep, so I got up and wrote the first chapter. After writing Those Three Words, I REALLY wanted to do a full on Bade story, so I'm gonna give it a shot :D Let me know if you guys are interested, and I'll start working on it to post within the next week or two :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you to everyone that has been reading and reviewing! :) It really means a lot to hear (see? lol) your guys' feedback :)**

* * *

Cat sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed as she began picking through the notes that were sprawled out around her. She had been waiting to hear from her brother ever since the day that he left, and was beyond excited that his letters finally came. Throughout his first month at the facility Frankie had written to Cat every day, telling her little anecdotes of things that have happened to him, how his treatment was going, and most importantly how much he loved her. He hadn't forgotten about the mysterious phone call between his sister and mother, and it still worried him greatly. So naturally, being the concerned older brother that he was, he had even written a few notes checking up on her, making sure that everything was okay.

Picking up a random, brightly-colored piece of paper, Cat began to read over one of Frankie's letters, from his first day at the facility.

_Kitty Cat,_

_Today's my first day in the nuthouse and all I've been doing is taking tests. I thought I was done with that after school, but I guess not. I feel like some sort of experiment: they put me in a padded room for a few hours and basically watched me the entire time. I couldn't see them, but I knew they were there. It had to have been the most boring thing _ever_. On the bright side though, I got to wear these really soft cube things on my hands! It reminded me of our Socker Boppers, but they didn't hurt as bad…I tried them out. Anyway, besides that I guess it isn't _so_ bad here. I mean, Mom and Dad are here to keep me company, but I really wish you were, too. I know I saw you yesterday, but I miss you so much. I didn't think that it would be this hard, but I was wrong. I can't wait until you can visit. Hell, even better: I can't wait until I can come home. But until then, Mom and Dad brought some pictures of us for me to put up in my room. They're so cute! I know that it's not the same, but at least I get to see you every day :) Anyways, I better get going: apparently it's past my curfew (what am I, 12?), and the nurses are getting pretty pissed off. I'll try to write to you tomorrow!_

_ Love you, Kitty Cat._

_~Frankie _

Cat laughed while reading over his letter: even in his situation, Frankie was able to maintain his sense of humor. She also found it humorous that he, too, had to wear the foam cubes on his hands, as it reminded her of when she was placed in the psych ward when Rex was in the hospital. Although she missed him, she was glad that even on his first day he seemed to be adjusting well enough to the new arrangement, and was also glad that her parents were able to bring some pictures from home in order to cheer him up. Even though Frankie had told her that everything would be alright once he left for Florida, she knew that his strong, older brother façade would falter, but she didn't know how much it would actually affect him. Sure, he would tell her every day how much he was going to miss her, but neither of them had anticipated how difficult the separation would truly be.

Returning the note to the pile, she found a small slip of paper with a note attached to it. As she peeled off the note, she began reading her brother's messy scrawl.

_Cat, _

_I've been thinking about you a lot lately and I'm starting to worry; I overheard Mom talking to you last week and she seemed really concerned. I don't think I was supposed to hear her- I think she thought that I was asleep- but I heard. I heard everything. Well, almost everything. I'm really concerned about you, but I know that I can't really ask Mom about what's going on, because she doesn't know that I overheard your conversation. What's going on, Kitty Cat? You know that you can tell me anything. I'm not sure what exactly is wrong, but by the sounds of it I know that you're upset. You may not think that it's serious, but you're wrong. You need to talk to someone; you can talk to me. I hope that this doesn't have anything to do with what happened the last time that I left. I don't know what I would do if you went down that road again. Please, Cat, _please_ talk to someone before it's too late. I know that it may seem rough now, but I'll be home soon. I promise you. Just keep that in the back of your mind: I'll be home soon. Please don't do anything that you would regret, because I don't know what I would do without my little sis. I love you so much, Kitty Cat. Hang in there, because everything will turn out alright in the end. I'll be home soon and you won't ever have to worry about me leaving again. Until then, I need to know that you're okay. So, please call Mom and let her know that you got the package. Please. _

_I love you, Kitty. _

_~Frankie_

Cat's hand shook as she read her brother's note. She promised him that she would get through this, no matter how hard it would be; she didn't want him to be worried about her, yet here they were.

"I'm so sorry, Frankie," she whispered before letting the note slip out of her hands. As it floated down to her bed, she noticed the now-detached small slip of paper resting beside her. She carefully picked it up, flipping it over, and tears sprung to her eyes as she read it.

_Remember, I'm always here for you. _

"I miss you so much," she whispered into the silence of her room.

"Please come home."

Cat fell backwards into the mess that littered her bed and pulled the blankets up around her as she tried to compose herself.

_This is exactly what Jade was talking about, _she thought._ If she comes in and sees me like this, there's no way in hell that she'll let me go back to school. _

Try as she might, Cat just couldn't seem to regain herself; Frankie's note had put her over the top.

"I don't want you to be upset. I told you that I would be okay, but I broke my promise. I'm so sorry, Frankie," she cried.

Needing the comfort of a familiar friend, Cat quickly reached down from her bed, grabbing both Mr. Purple and Mr. Longneck. It had been a while since she held them, but she really needed the comfort. She pulled the stuffed animals close to her chest as she continued to lie in the center of her bed, allowing for the tears to slip freely down her face. There was no use in trying to stop them from falling- there was no going back.

* * *

Cat remained in that position in her bed for what must have been a couple of hours, and all the while she remained completely still with her stuffed animals clutched to her chest, while the tears continued to fall. She was surprised that Jade hadn't come in to check on her, but Jade knew that Cat would want some privacy to read over Frankie's letters so she decided to give her a little space. Normally Cat wouldn't mind being alone, and was glad that Jade decided to give her a little space, but right now she needed her more than anything.

Cat slowly stood up from herbed and padded out the door. It didn't take long for her to find Jade, as her voice could be heard from downstairs, and she swore that she heard her name. She listened quietly and attentively to her friend's words, before making her way downstairs.

"She's doing so much better. I'm really proud of her, Beck."

Cat froze mid-step as she listened to Jade. She seemed so happy that Cat was starting to return back to her old self, but if she saw her now?

"I think she's ready to go back to school next week. She practically _begged_ me this morning, so she must be ready. At first I was a little hesitant, but I know that she can handle it."

The girl in question inhaled sharply as she tried to regain her composure.

"Her package finally came today, too; I was starting to worry. For the past few days she was getting so excited whenever the mail would come, and I could tell how upset she was when she found out that it hadn't arrived yet. She was so happy when she got it, too: she literally bounced up and down. I haven't seen her that genuinely happy in… a long time."

"Dammit," Cat mumbled from her place atop the stairs, rubbing at her swollen eyes.

"She's been in her room for the past couple hours. I figured she would want some privacy to read through Frankie's notes, so I left her alone. Although…" she trailed off, "I should probably go check on her; it _has_ been a while. I mean, I'm sure she's fine but-"

Jade was stopped midsentence at the sight of her petite friend descending the stairs. Cat figured that she must've looked pretty rough, what with crying for nearly two hours, and the look on Jade's face let her know that she looked far worse than she thought.

"Babe, I have to go," she spoke up urgently, disconnecting the call without further explanation. She would regret it later as she knew that Beck was probably worried, but that was the least of her worries at the moment.

"What's wrong?" she asked, greatly worried by her friend's behavior.

"What do you mean?" Cat choked out, trying her best to sound convincing.

Jade pulled out her phone and handed it to Cat, allowing for her to see what Jade was talking about. Her red-rimmed eyes appeared swollen, while tear streaks and mascara stained her cheeks. Her messy-bun was extremely messy, and her cheeks were greatly flushed.

"Oh, that," Cat sighed. She knew that she must have looked bad, but not _this_ terrible.

"What happened?" Jade asked, placing a hand on Cat's shoulder.

Cat crumbled under Jade's touch, and her face contorted with grief as she tried to reply.

"He knows," she managed to get out.

"What?"

"He overheard my Mom talking to me last week. He knows," she answered.

"But what-"

"I broke my promise: I told him that he didn't have to worry about me- that I would be alright- but I'm not, and now he knows," Cat interrupted.

"Cat," Jade sighed as she went to hug her friend.

"He shouldn't have to worry about me! He's got enough going on, and I don't want him to feel like this is his fault."

"Calm down, baby girl. It's alright," she tried to pacify her, but it was no use. She was gone.

"He seemed so upset, Jadey," she cried. "He knew that I was thinking about…_that_ again. He sounded so guilty; it's not his fault!"

"I know it isn't his fault-"

"But _he_ doesn't know that," Cat interrupted. "I feel terrible!"

"Hey," Jade soothed, "Cat, look at me."

The fragile girl pulled back to look at her friend, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You shouldn't feel guilty. You have every right to be upset with the situation- there's nothing that you can do to control it. I know you told Frankie that you would be alright, so that he wouldn't feel guilty or worry about you, but I don't think you realized how hard this would actually be. Nobody expected you to be able to wake up the next day with a smile on your face. Hell, I still don't expect it. You're upset that your brother's gone, and you shouldn't have to suppress those feelings for the benefit of others. I'm sure that Frankie realizes that, too," Jade reasoned before sweeping the hair out of Cat's face.

"Maybe you're right," Cat admitted quietly, "but I still feel guilty. He doesn't even know the half of it, and he's already worried."

"I think you need to talk to him," Jade suggested. "It would do you both a lot of good to be able to see each other."

"And tell him what? That because he left, I became so depressed I almost took my own life?"

Jade flinched at Cat's sarcastic comment, before trying to reason with the girl.

"You don't have to tell him about that right now; I wouldn't. Not yet, anyway. That would really make him feel guilty, which he has no reason to," she added. "But you do need to let him know that you're okay, because if you don't, he'll start to worry even more."

Cat sat in silence for a moment as she mulled over Jade's words. She knew that Jade was right: she really needed to try to talk to her brother, no matter how hard it may be to get ahold of him. It would be the only way to set things straight- to make things right.

"I'm going to tell him," she mumbled after a minute of consideration.

"Tell him…?"

"Everything," Cat finished. "I have to be honest with him, and he deserves to know."

"Are you sure?" Jade asked skeptically. Although she was worried for how Frankie would react, she had to admit that Cat was right: he deserved to know.

"I'm positive."

* * *

**Shorter chapter, I know. But there's a little bit of Cat/Frankie (Frat...Crankie? Hell, I don't know), which will turn into A LOT of Cat/Frankie very shortly :) Let me know what you think! **


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you guys for reviewing :D This is officially the last pre-written chapter, so it might take a little longer to get updates out. Writer's block is no help to that, either. But it'll get done :) Here's chapter 26, there's some Crankie (this still sounds weird to me, idk) :D**

* * *

Frankie sat awake in his room as he continued to stare up at the ceiling. Despite his rather exhausting and early day, he couldn't seem to fall asleep as he was too concerned about his petite sister. Although he found it doubtful that she had received his mail that morning, he couldn't help but hope that he was wrong. In fact, as soon as he had finished lunch that afternoon, around the same time that Cat would have checked the mail, he became anxious for the phone call to his mother. He knew that it would have taken Cat some time to read through everything, but he wanted- needed- her to call him as soon as possible. Even though he believed his sister when she told him that she wouldn't take her own life, he still couldn't fight the knots that continued to form in his stomach with each passing hour. Now, at ten o'clock, Frankie was extremely worried for his sister and had thought about asking to borrow his mother's phone, but figured that the idea was too far-fetched: he'd never get the chance to speak with his sister in private. At this point, all he wanted was to hear Cat's innocent voice, letting him know that she was alright.

As he reached over to switch off the bed-side lamp, he heard a soft knock at the door and without hesitation found himself answering, "Come in."

Mrs. Valentine gently cracked open the door, being sure that she wasn't disturbing her son, before fully opening the door and crossing into the room. She appeared tired, and hints of worry were etched into her features. At his mother's appearance, Frankie began to panic, fearing that something was wrong.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, the fear settling in.

Mrs. Valentine simply nodded, reassuring her son that nothing had happened, but she still seemed a bit perturbed. As Frankie went to question his mother, she came over to side of his bed and placed a hand on his shoulder, before handing him her phone. He looked up at her in confusion, wanting an explanation for her action, but figured that it had something to do with Cat.

"I just got off the phone with your sister," she informed him, her voice low. "You need to call her."

Frankie could sense the worry in Mrs. Valentine's voice, and although he was relieved to know that Cat was alright in _that_ sense, he still felt unnerved.

"Did she get it?" he questioned, and let out a sigh of relief at the short nod of his mother's head.

"She got it," she began. "I guess it was delivered to the neighbors by mistake, and she said that Katie brought it over this afternoon."

"Did she say when?" Frankie asked, wondering why she had waited so long to call.

Mrs. Valentine shook her head, not sure of the answer. "She didn't say, but it couldn't have been too long ago," she reassured him.

Frankie nodded before unlocking the screen to his mother's phone. As he did so, he felt Mrs. Valentine's eyes on him and he curiously looked up to meet his mother's gaze. She gave him a light smile as she patted the blankets, making her way towards the door.

"I'm going to leave you alone for a little while. Let me know when you're done, alright?" she asked, and after confirmation from her son walked out of the room.

Frankie let out a sigh, preparing himself for his conversation with Cat. He had no idea what he would be greeted with and it frightened him. He took in another deep breath as he went to press the dial button that appeared next to his sister's name, but instead tapped the "videochat" button. Cat could easily convince him that she was okay via phone, but it would be a hell of a lot harder to do so face-to-face.

Not even after the first ring, Frankie was greeted by the sight of his sister, clad in her pajamas and Mr. Purple in hand. At her appearance, he could feel his body practically oozing with relief, happy to see his little sister. Cat seemed content, too, as she couldn't fight the wide smile that was present on her face.

"Cat!" Frankie exclaimed in relief.

Her smile grew as she took in the sight of her brother: he was there in front of her. After several weeks, she was actually getting to see him.

"Hi," she giggled, amused by Frankie's excitement. "I'm sure she already told you, but…"  
she trailed off, before holding up the contents of Frankie's envelope, "I got it today."

"Yeah," he agreed, "she just told me."

Cat was taken aback by Frankie's short response, and was a bit worried by the monotony. He was normally so animated, but now he seemed...different.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned by her brother's state. This only earned a short laugh from Frankie, and Cat flinched.

"I could ask you the same thing," he answered softly.

Cat remained quiet, preparing herself for what was to come. She knew that she had to tell her brother _everything_, but she didn't know how to do so without upsetting him. As she continued to sit in silence, Frankie glanced over his sister's appearance, noticing the remnants of smeared mascara that lingered under her now-noticeably red-rimmed eyes. His eyes filled with concern as he tried his best to remain patient, and a few moments later Cat began to answer.

"I got your letters," she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper, "all of them."

Frankie nodded in response, not knowing what else to say; he knew that at any little gesture Cat could fall apart at the seams, and he didn't want to witness that. The redhead stared at her brother through her screen, waiting for a response, but after realizing that it was useless, she spoke up.

"We need to talk," she admitted, hoping not to startle her brother.

Frankie noticed the distress in his sister's voice and put on a small smile, before letting out a weak laugh.

"I thought we already were?"

His efforts to cheer her up, however, went unnoticed and Cat shook her head in disapproval.

"I'm serious, Frankie," she replied, causing the smile to fall from her brother's face.

"I know we do," he sighed, before jumping right into it. "What _happened _that night?"

Cat's eyes snapped shut in response; she knew that this conversation was going to be difficult, but she hadn't anticipated that to be Frankie's first question.

"Frankie," she started, but was interrupted by his voice.

"Cat, you need to tell me what's going on. I'm really worried about you, and no matter how many times you to try to tell me that you're fine, I know you're not; I can see right through you."

"It's not just that night," she began, earning an inquisitive look from her brother.

"It was a lot of little stuff that's happened since you left, and what happened that night was the aftermath," she explained.

"Well?" He encouraged, waiting for her to continue.

Cat let out a sigh, not knowing where to start. Frankie caught on to this, and answered her unasked question.

"Start from when you came home from the hospital. Did something happen then?" he asked. He didn't even have to wait for Cat's verbal response, as her almost unnoticeable flinch was enough of an answer.

Realizing that her gesture did not go unnoticed, she began to explain to her brother everything that had happened that day: she explained how she ran out of her room to say goodbye to their parents, whom had suggested that she stay at her Nona's, and how upset Cat's sudden flee had made Jade. She told him about Jade yelling at her, and how she didn't want to cry- to appear weak- which led her to shut everyone out again.

"When we came home the next morning," Cat continued, "I could tell that Jade was beyond frustrated with me. But I didn't care- I was too upset to care," she finished, noticing the somber look on her brother's face.

"When I walked into the living room and looked around, noticing that you were really gone, it was so hard. It felt surreal, almost. I saw that picture that Mom took of us before the Cow-Wow dance and I thought that I was going to lose it. I didn't want to be around anyone, so I just went up to my room, much to Jade's dismay, and tried to fall asleep. Then I found your note, the one that somehow finds its way back to me whenever I'm feeling upset; 'Remember, I'm always here for you,'" she quoted with a small smile. "I don't know how you do it," she continued, "but whenever I need you the most- whenever I feel like I can't go on another day without you- I always find that note."

Frankie smiled at Cat's words, happy to see that his notes were having some sort of an effect.

"Magic?" he offered with a shrug of his shoulders, earning a laugh from Cat.

"Frankie," she giggled, but she fell silent once again.

"Jade got to me that night," she admitted quietly. "When I came back downstairs, she knew that something was bothering me, even though I refused to acknowledge or admit it, and I almost broke down. She came so close to getting through to me, but I didn't let her. I should have, though. Everything else could have been avoided."

Frankie cocked an eyebrow at Cat's words, confused. He wanted desperately to console his sister, upon hearing about her near breakdown and how hard his departure has been for her, but he knew that if he did, she would never be able to finish; she'd be too upset. So, rather than interrupting her, he let her continue.

"Jade's a lot smarter than I give her credit for: she knew how upset I was, even though I was too stubborn to admit it, and because of that night, she was too afraid to even utter a word to me; she thought that even the smallest of things would set me off. Beck, too."

"I bet that was annoying," Frankie interrupted, earning a nod from Cat.

"It was ridiculous. It had gotten to the point where she wouldn't even talk to me about school: I would ask her how her day was, you know, to make small talk, but she wouldn't even answer me. It literally was the most boring week of my life, but on the bright side I was able to catch up on all of the homework that I had missed.

"But, I finally snapped at dinner," she admitted in a hushed tone. Frankie almost didn't catch his sister's words, and had to strain his ears to understand her, but he could tell by the solemn look on her face that what he was about to hear was going to upset him.

"Wha-what happened?" he stuttered, afraid for her to continue.

"No matter how many times she asked me if I was upset, I would always tell her that I wasn't; I didn't want her to worry. But she was adamant- she knew where I was going before I even did."

Frankie understood where Cat was coming from, but he also sympathized with Jade. After the last time that he left, Cat was a mess and it took a huge toll on her friend. Jade didn't want a repeat of that night, and Frankie sure as hell didn't either. Although Cat had promised that she wouldn't let herself become suicidal, and although he knew that he needed to have more faith in his sister, he couldn't help but feel the overwhelming fear that she would break her promise. What's more, after hearing that last part, he knew _exactly_ where this conversation was going and he wanted nothing more than to hold his sister tight.

"I told Jade something that night that I wish I never had," she admitted, her voice shaking.

"I…" she trailed off, not wanting to tell her brother. Seeing how Jade had reacted, she knew that Frankie would react in the same way, if not worse. She couldn't bear to see her best friend so upset and she absolutely did not want to see her brother in such a state. Frankie, however, urged her to continue, wanting to hear the words that he hoped weren't true.

Cat placed a hand over her mouth in an effort to regain her composure, but it was no use. As Frankie's concerned eyes bore into hers, she lost all sense of control and broke down in front of her brother.

"I…I told Jade that I was…suicidal," she managed to get out, slurring the last word in hopes that he hadn't caught it. However, much to Cat's dismay, Frankie's eyes snapped shut and he went still. He knew exactly what Cat was going to say, but he still had that shadow of a doubt; hearing it come from the mouth of his innocent, fragile, younger sister truly frightened him and he had no idea of what he could say.

She sat in silence as she awaited her brother's response, the only sounds being her light sniffles. After what seemed like an eternity, Frankie slowly opened his eyes and allowed for a few tears to fall and at the sight of her brother, Cat could no longer fight back her own tears; the damage had been done- Frankie knew.

"But you promised," he whispered, heartbroken. Although he figured that, unfortunately, this was one promise that would be broken, he had still hoped that she wouldn't take it this far. He couldn't blame her for being upset by his departure, but he was saddened by how upset she truly was.

"I know, and I'm so sorry," she replied in a thick voice. "I'm so sorry, Frankie."

Cat watched as her brother unraveled at the seams: she watched as the tears fell freely down his face, and as his frame began to quiver. She knew that her brother would be upset, and at the sight of him, she regretted ever telling him about what had happened.

"Why?" he broke, heartbroken.

At a loss for words, Cat repeated what she had told Jade that night.

"It's just so hard."

Frankie's head suddenly snapped up, and his pained eyes fixed on Cat.

"That doesn't mean you give up," he barked, clearly upset.

* * *

_"It's so hard," Cat bit out as she clung to her friend. _

_"That doesn't mean you give up, Cat!" Jade was fuming by this point, and it took all that she had to try and control her anger. _

_"I'm sorry, Jadey," Cat cried as she backed away from her friend. _

_"If you were really sorry, you wouldn't have thought about it," Jade snapped, her voice dripping with venom._

_"This is why I didn't want to tell you! I knew this is how you would react."_

* * *

At her brother's words, Cat couldn't help but be brought back to the exact same conversation with Jade, and the tears fell faster. Not only that, but she couldn't stand how upset Frankie was and couldn't help but feel that he was angry with her.

"I know," she cried after moments of silence. "Jade said the same thing."

"Can you blame her?" he asked, his voice rising.

"Frankie, please," Cat begged, "I'm tired of the yelling; Jade already beat you to it."

He let out a sigh, realizing how upset he was making her, and tried to console her.

"Cat, look-"

"I don't want you to be mad at me," she interrupted him, "I didn't want to make Jade angry when I told her, and I sure as hell didn't want to do the same to you."

A somber look fell over Frankie's face as he listened to Cat's words. He hadn't intended to come off as angry, but in the heat of the moment he was upset and couldn't help his reaction.

"I'm not mad," he told her, softening his tone. "I could never be mad at you."

Cat flashed her gaze back to the screen, relieved by Frankie's words.

"But I promised you that-"

"I know you did," he interrupted her, "but I can't be mad at you for how you're feeling. Ever since I was put back into the hospital, everyone has been encouraging you to come to terms with your emotions, and you finally did: you finally realized where you were headed. Although I'm concerned that my being gone has upset you this much, I'm glad that you told someone how you were feeling. I don't know what I would have done otherwise; I don't know what I would have done if I had gotten that call, letting me know that my little sister was dead. I just don't know what I would do…" he trailed off, trying to fight the fresh wave of tears.

"Frankie," Cat broke, "I'm so sorry," she apologized once again. "I don't want you to be upset by this; it's not your fault."

"But it is," he argued, feeling terrible for what he was putting his sister through. "I told you after New Jersey that I would get better- that I would never have to leave you again- but look what happened: I'm here, you're there, and I have no idea when I'll see you again."

"Frankie," she tried again, wanting to set him free of his guilt, "this isn't your fault. It's not like you woke up that morning and decided that you wanted to have an episode; the situation is uncontrollable, and there's nothing that you can do about it. There's nothing that I can do about it, either," she added under her breath.

"I know that it's uncontrollable," he admitted, "but if I wasn't in this stupid facility, I'd be home with you and you wouldn't be in this mess."

Cat sat in silence, not knowing how to respond to Frankie's argument. Even though she knew he wasn't guilty for her emotions, she knew that if he wasn't 3,000 miles away, indefinitely, she would be her bubbly, cheerful self. Her lack of words, however, caused Frankie to become even more upset, confirming his fear that he was guilty for Cat's actions.

"Exactly," he whispered.

"You're not guilty, Frankie," she reassured him, "but would things be different if you were here? Absolutely. Would we be having this conversation right now? No. _You're_ not the one that's made me so upset, but the situation that we're in _is_. So please don't think that this is your fault, because it's not."

Frankie felt comforted by his sister's words, and was happy that she didn't blame him for everything that had happened. He could see where Cat was coming from, knowing that the situation was beyond their control, but he was still upset.

"I guess you're right, when you put it that way," he admitted, "but I still can't stand to see you so upset."

"I know I'm right," she answered, earning the slightest of smiles from Frankie, "and I'm getting better each day, so please don't be worried."

"I don't know how you do it. I've been miserable without my baby sister, and have had days where I just feel like giving up. I just don't understand how you can get through this, especially not knowing when I'll be home."

"Honestly, my friends have helped me so much throughout all of this. Jade has been there for me every step of the way, whenever I need her. It doesn't matter if it's the middle of the day, or the middle of the night, she's _always_ there for me. I honestly don't know how I could ever thank her for everything that she's done for me. Especially after that night: she forced me to come to terms with everything and she practically saved my life. She knew that I was broken and she promised that she would try to fix me, and she is.

"And," Cat added, a small smile forming on her lips, "each day that you're gone is one day closer to you coming home. Whenever I feel like I can't make it another day, I just remember that."

Frankie returned the smile as he remembered the words that he told his sister the day that he had left.

"Whoever said that must've been pretty wise," he joked, earning a laugh from Cat.

"Yeah, well I'd like to think so," she agreed with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I'm so glad that you're okay," Frankie said, changing the subject ever so slightly. "I've heard Mom talking on the phone with you, so I had _no_ idea what I would be greeted with when I called you."

"I know, and I don't blame you," she admitted. "Things were pretty bad, as you now know, and Mom was really worried. But it's different now- things are better, so you don't have to worry...as much," she added with a small smile.

"I can see that," he replied, returning the smile, "and I'm so glad that things are getting better. I don't know what I would do without my baby sis."

"You won't have to worry about that anymore; nothing's going to happen to me," she reassured him, earning a nod from her brother.

"I love you, sis. So much."

"I love you, too," she replied sincerely. "I miss you so much and can't wait for you to come home. And until then, I'll be okay; I know that I'll see you soon.

Frankie smiled at his sister before speaking up again.

"Is there anything else that you want to talk about?"

Cat shook her head in response. "I just wanted you to know that I was alright, and I felt like you needed to know what's been going on; you deserved to know."

"Thank you for telling me, Cat. I would've gone insane not knowing what was going on," he admitted before speaking up again.

"Let me know if and when you want to do this again," he told her. "I'm always here for you, and I always will be."

"Thank you," Cat replied with a smile, before adding, "I guess I'll talk to you soon then."

Frankie nodded before getting in his last few words: "Goodnight, Kitty Cat. I'll see you soon." And with that, he disconnected the call, placing the phone on his bedside table. He was ecstatic that after over a month at the facility he was able to not only talk to his sister, but was able to see her as well. Although he missed her tremendously, he knew that they would see each other soon, and he couldn't wait for the day when he could hold his little sister in his arms once again.


End file.
